La Courneuve stabbing of 16-year-old student and suspect’s court referral, Digi Mart USA News (La Courneuve, Seine-Saint-Denis, France): A 20-year-old student suspected of stabbing one of his classmates several times on Thursday in La Courneuve, Seine-Saint-Denis, is set to be brought before an investigating judge for attempted intentional homicide, the prosecutor of Bobigny said Saturday.
The 16-year-old victim was wounded in the chest but was able to leave the emergency room the same day after receiving two stitches. A total work incapacity of five days was set for the injuries.
The suspect was arrested Thursday morning and was brought before the Bobigny prosecutor’s office on Saturday at the end of his 48 hours of police custody, prosecutor Alexandre de Bosschère said in a statement. A judicial investigation was opened for attempted intentional homicide against the injured victim and two other minors present, as well as for carrying a category D weapon.
The prosecution has requested pretrial detention.
According to witnesses, the suspect acknowledged the facts but contested any intent to kill, and reportedly tried to strike other people without succeeding. The incident occurred during a blockade at the Denis Papin vocational high school in La Courneuve.
According to the prosecutor, the suspect gave contradictory explanations for the origin of the attack, citing among other things a feeling of threat. He also repeatedly mentioned psychological problems, and the prosecution noted a possible impairment of judgment due to psychological disorders, particularly of a bipolar nature.
A search of the home where he lives with his parents revealed drug and medication use but provided no information about his motives, according to the prosecutor’s statement.
