Migrant Survivor Describes Horror as Friends Shot by French Gunman
A migrant survivor recounts the chilling moment he witnessed friends shot dead by a gunman in a French refugee camp
Loon-Plage, Dunkirk, France, Migrant, Shooting, Kurdish, Refugee Camp
Dunkirk: A Kurdish migrant named Matin, just 25, shared a harrowing story about a shooting at a refugee camp. He said he saw his friends get shot by what he called the “angel of death.”
It all went down on Saturday when a gunman, just 22 years old, opened fire with a shotgun. Matin described how the guy came in and started blasting away. It was terrifying.
Two migrants and two security guards lost their lives in the attack at the camp in Loon-Plage. Another victim was shot in a nearby town. Matin and his friends were just trying to get dry clothes after being rescued from the English Channel.
They had fallen into the sea without life jackets when their dinghy capsized. They were freezing and just wanted to warm up. Then, out of nowhere, the gunman appeared.
Matin recalled thinking the shooter might just fire into the air. But then he loaded his gun and aimed right at them. “We saw Azrael,” he said, referring to the Islamic Angel of Death.
His friends Hamid and Hadi were walking with him when the shooting started. Matin and Rashad managed to hide, but Hamid was hit in the head. It was a nightmare.
After the chaos, the alleged shooter turned himself in at a nearby police station. Authorities found more weapons in his car. The motives behind the attack are still unclear.
Refugees have been living in that area for years, many of them Kurdish or Afghan families. Loon-Plage is close to Calais, a hotspot for migrants trying to cross to England.