Louis, 17, died on Tuesday from injuries sustained in a brutal attack on June 19 in Narbonne (Aude). The teenager was found severely injured the following morning at the construction site of a senior living residence, where he had been beaten the previous evening. He was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators quickly identified five suspects thanks to a video of the attack and extensive phone records. All were arrested and charged with attempted murder and placed in pretrial detention. Following the victim's death, this criminal charge may be reconsidered as part of the ongoing judicial investigation.
An investigation to establish responsibility
According to the Narbonne public prosecutor, Louis had multiple bruises on his face and significant bleeding. Initial findings suggest the suspects arranged a meeting with him under false pretenses. One of them reportedly had a dispute with the victim, but the exact motive remains unclear.
The prosecutor's office also denied rumors circulating on social media, specifying that the attack, at this stage, had no racist motive. Three of the five people charged are known to child welfare services (ASE), although they were not in the same facility as Louis, who had been temporarily housed there since May at his parents' request.
A few days before the incident, the young man had gone to a gendarmerie in the Tarn region to report a group assault, but did not file a formal complaint. He had also filed a complaint in May in a separate case involving other young people, unrelated to those now under investigation. The judicial inquiry will now have to determine the exact role of each suspect in this fatal attack.
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