A third individual, cousin of one of the first two suspects, was indicted for the murder of Philippe Coopman. He was placed in pre-trial detention on the day of the young man’s funeral.
A third individual was arrested for the assassination of Philippe Coopman in Grande-Synthe on Monday. After two days in police custody, he has just been indicted for “ambush murder” and placed in pre-trial detention, the Dunkirk public prosecutor said in a press release. Aged 15, he is the cousin of one of the two other suspects already indicted for “assassination”.
This announcement from the prosecution comes on the day of Philippe’s funeral in Grande-Synthe, in the Saint-Jacques church, in the presence of around 500 people. Bouquets of flowers were left at the scene of the attack between photos of the young man. The ceremony was opened to the sound of the song “You’re going to miss me” by Gims.
The teenager indicted had been attacked by several people a few days earlier. Does this attack have a link to his possible involvement in the tragedy? This might seem like an act of revenge or retaliation. This is what we will also try to find out the Dunkirk public prosecutor’s office which opened an investigation into “intentional violence in meetings leading to incapacity for work for more than 8 days”.
On social networks, a real manhunt has been launched since Philippe’s murder. Many posts reveal the faces and names of potential attackers and encourage Internet users to find them.
The teenager’s mother panicked
The mother of the teenager beaten and now indicted had testified to BFMTV, Saturday April 20, on his state of health. “He is swollen everywhere, his mouth has doubled in volume,” she confided. The young teenager who is the cousin of one of the two minors indicted in the fatal lynching of Philippe would have broken ribs and will have to “have jaw surgery”.
According to Charlotte Huet, the public prosecutor of Dunkirk, the attackers stole some of the victim’s clothes. During the night from Friday to Saturday, this 15-year-old teenager was “a victim of aggravated violence”, explained the prosecutor to the Parisian. The young man was taken to hospital, but his life prognosis was not serious.
The mother also showed her concern for her and her other children. She explained that she received threats against her family, including rape of her 12-year-old daughter. “I’m no longer going to work because of that,” she said, adding that she contacted the mayor to move because she no longer feels “safe.”
This attack occurred four days after the death of the 22-year-old young man, in the same town of Dunkirk. He had been beaten by several people. Two minors aged 14 and 15 were arrested, then indicted for “murder”. This qualification was retained by the Dunkirk prosecutor due to the aggravating circumstance of “ambush”. They claimed to have arranged a meeting with the victim via a dating site by posing as an underage girl. “That’s their version,” replied the Dunkirk prosecutor, adding that the hypothesis of the theft was still on the table.