The French city of Rennes faced open gang warfare on Sunday night, with exclusive footage provided to CNews showing men armed with automatic weapons prowling the streets firing volleys of bullets in an hour-long incident that injured two people, one seriously.
Although dozens of shell casings were discovered, reports indicate there were hundreds of rounds fired in the “sensitive” Blosne district of Rennes. Around 2:00 a.m., reports began flowing in of “dozens of explosions” from residents in the area, with the public prosecutor, Philippe Astruc, saying “long weapons” were “fired sporadically, sometimes in bursts” between 1:56 a.m. and 3:03 a.m.”
Video of the incident was broadcast on CNews, which showed men stalking the streets and firing what appears to be Kalashnikov rifles.
One of the victims was struck by a bullet in his arm and the other was hit in the chest. The vehicle the men were driving was “riddled with bullet holes,” according to police.
Bullet holes were also discovered in the facade of two apartment buildings where the gun battle occurred.
“I heard numerous shots during the night, and when I got up I discovered my kitchen completely destroyed,” said one local resident. “We live in fear, we can’t take it anymore with my wife.”
The gun battle occurred for at least an hour, as police were reportedly unwilling to enter the area. Since they were unprepared to deal with a gun battle involving automatic rifles, police were forced to wait for specialized RAID units with armored vehicles to first enter the neighborhood.
Once RAID units moved in, police flooded the area. There is currently a reinforced police presence planned in the neighborhood for the foreseeable future.
The Rennes public prosecutor’s office is already targeting the gangs in the area and opening an investigation into “attempted intentional homicide by an organized gang association.”
“At first analysis, these facts, which could concern around 10 people involved, appear to be part of the fight for control of the drug resale point located at Place de Banat, which had experienced a similar episode on Dec. 6 and 9, 2023,” stated Philippe Astruc.
After that previous incident, four arrests were made.