At the scene of the shooting in the Moulins neighborhood, Nice, May 11, 2026. FRÉDÉRIC DIDES/AFP
It was 3:30 pm on Monday, May 11, when a man wearing a long jacket despite the mild weather stepped out of a Renault Captur, got onto a scooter and calmly rode across Place des Amaryllis, in the working-class Moulins neighborhood on the western edge of Nice. Since 2018, this area has been designated a "quartier de reconquête républicaine," or a neighborhood targeted for state efforts to restore public order. It is a popular meeting place for local retirees and families, especially on sunny days.
Perched on the scooter, the unknown assailant approached a group gathered near a grocery store, just steps from a café terrace favored by residents. He pulled a compact assault rifle from his jacket and opened fire. Seventeen 7.62 caliber rounds – the type used in Kalashnikovs – struck two people, born in 1968 and 1987 according to initial investigation findings, and wounded six others aged between 23 and 53. On Monday evening, three of the wounded were hospitalized in critical condition, while three others were in less serious condition.
"Among those injured, three had previous involvement in drug trafficking cases," the Nice prosecutor's office said in a statement, though the nature of those prior offenses was not specified. The two people who were killed had no ties to the drug trade that plagues the area.
