A man shot dead was found in a burned-out vehicle near Grenoble

The body of a man was discovered Sunday morning in a burned-out car in Échirolles, on the outskirts of Grenoble. According to the Grenoble prosecutor's office, the victim was shot multiple times before the vehicle was set ablaze. An investigation for "murder by an organized group" and "arson by dangerous means by an organized group" has been opened.

The discovery was made around 5:15 a.m. by firefighters called to a car fire in a southeastern neighborhood of the town. Inside the wreckage was the body of a man whose identity had not yet been confirmed Sunday evening. Initial findings at the scene allowed investigators to recover several shell casings and a gasoline can in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle.

A new settling of scores linked to drug trafficking?

The investigation was initially handled by the organized and specialized crime division in Grenoble before the specialized interregional court in Lyon took over the case. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday to determine the precise circumstances of the death and the number of shots the victim received.

For several years, Grenoble and several neighboring towns like Échirolles have been regularly affected by score-settling related to drug trafficking. At the end of March, a 44-year-old man was shot dead at the foot of a building in another part of the city, in a context also marked by armed violence.