A man was shot in the leg at the Bellefontaine housing estate in south-west Toulouse on Saturday evening and rushed to hospital by friends, as investigators launched an inquiry with almost no witness testimony to guide them.
The shot was fired around 10:30 pm near chemin le Tintoret. The victim's friends drove him in their own car to the emergency department at Purpan hospital. Doctors confirmed that his life was not in danger and that he would be able to return home once post-operative care and follow-up examinations were complete.
Officers who arrived at the scene found a large bloodstain on the ground in front of a building entrance hall and recovered one shell casing. Investigators from the organized and specialized crime division, the former judicial police, believe the casing most likely came from the bullet that struck the victim, though they are treating their early findings with caution. The Toulouse prosecutor's office assigned the case to the unit.
No witnesses, no statement
The inquiry opened with almost no witness testimony. The on-duty commissioner said investigators had no precise information about how the attack had unfolded, that no witnesses had been identified, and that the victim himself had still not been interviewed as of Sunday morning. A police officer at the scene noted that residents had been on their balconies at the time of the shooting but that nobody had come forward to speak to officers, a reaction the officer described as familiar.
A woman at the scene suffered a fainting spell and was attended to by firefighters but was not taken to hospital.
Investigators said they did not yet know whether the victim would give any account of the assault or even file a formal complaint. The on-duty commissioner confirmed that the man, aged 24, is very well known to police services and has been recorded multiple times in files related to prohibited activities. A source close to the case said his record relates entirely to drug matters, covering roles as a user, a lookout and a dealer. Investigators are considering whether the shooting may be connected to drug trafficking.
Separate shooting the night before
The Saturday attack came less than 24 hours after a separate incident on the other side of the city's ring road. On Friday evening, on rue Pau-Lambert, a group of young men was targeted by fire from an automatic weapon. Officers recovered more than 30 shell casings of 7.62mm caliber at the scene, but no injured person was identified. That incident is also considered potentially tied to illegal drug activity.
Despite the apparent pattern, one investigator said any connection between the two cases was far from established at this stage.
