After the death of Thomas during the Crépol ball (Drôme) on November 18 and the indictment of nine suspects, investigators are trying to establish the sequence of events and the starting point of the drama.
The investigation is complex, but the first elements seem to indicate that the attack on Crépol was not the punitive expedition described in the hours following the tragedy. Almost two weeks after the death of Thomas Perotto, 16, at the Drôme village ball organized on November 18, investigators are continuing their investigations and questioning the racist nature of the violent altercations.
Two main suspects in Thomas’ murder
Nine suspects were indicted as part of the investigation into Thomas’ death and all but one were born in Romans-sur-Isère, a town neighboring Crépol. The question of rivalry between young people from Crépol and those from Romans-sur-Isère, some of whom come from the popular Monnaie district, against a backdrop of ethnic difference arose. But the new elements of the investigation revealed by The Parisian indicate that while some suspects are indeed of North African origin, others have historically French first and last names. Moreover, of the two main suspects for the murder of Thomas, who present a disturbing physical resemblance and both correspond to the description of the culprit given by several witnesses – “a tall dark-haired man, with long curly hair” -, one named Ilyès Z. and aged 22 is of North African origin and the other aged 17 has no origins other than French. The second being a minor, his identity cannot be revealed. The Ile-de-France newspaper specifies that the latter is considered on the run.
A racist insult and anti-white remarks mentioned
Contrary to what was said during the first hours of the investigation, the young people of Romans-sur-Isère would not have planned a punitive expedition based on the latest information. Among the nine suspects, at least four of them even participated in the evening for several hours before the violent confrontation broke out: Chaïd A. (20 years old) identified by his blue and pink Olympique Lyonnais tracksuit , Yanis B.-C. (18 years old), Ilyès Z. (22 years old) and a minor aged 16. Others remained in front of the village hall. Inside the ball, the young people from Crépol and those from Romans-sur-Isère did not mix. If half of the hundred or so witnesses interviewed said they did not notice any problems during the evening, other participants at the party described a group on the sidelines casting unhealthy glances at the crowd.
Some testimonies, in addition to depicting an animosity between the two groups, report racist insults, notably that of a witness who said she heard from the mouth of her friend Thomas L., a rugby player on Thomas Perotto’s team: “I I want to hit some bullshit.” Nine other witnesses reported to investigators that they had heard comments “hostile to whites” from the Romans later in the evening, once the fight was underway. “We’re going to get you, little white guy,” says one of the witnesses.
A provocation responsible for a “brawl”?
According to investigators, an “altercation” between rugby player Thomas L. and Romanian Ilyès Z. “could be at the origin of the brawl” writes The Parisian citing a police report dated November 25. During the evening, while the song “Chikita” of Jul is broadcast, the rugby player “grabs my hair and tells me that I have long hair like Nikita” declared the Romanais to the investigators during his hearing. A provocation in reference to the song poorly received by Ilyès Z. who adds having asked Thomas L. to “get out” on several occasions. “Come on, you come on, we’ll go outside if you have a problem,” the athlete would have replied, again according to the suspect’s testimony. The two men then left the room according to several witnesses.
The altercation would then have started between Ilyès Z. and Thomas L. joined by two or three rugby players according to the Romanais who said he was punched and kicked and ended up “on all fours”. The rugby players, for their part, declared to the police that they were defending themselves. Up to around thirty people joined the fight according to investigators, notably young people from Romans-sur-Isère who remained in the parking lot, and some from Crépol including Thomas Perotto. In the fight, the Romanese were however more equipped, some equipped with knives or “shell gloves” depending on The Parisian. Young Thomas was the victim of one of these knives, struck near the heart according to the autopsy, and died. Thomas L. was stabbed twice, another was seriously injured in the back and ten others were more lightly injured. On the Romanais side, five people were injured by blows.