Two men aged 19 and 30 and said to have been Iranian Kurds were shot dead as they walked along a road in Mardyck, in northern France on Saturday (December 14). The men had been heading for the makeshift camp where they had reportedly been living for the last month.

More details about the men have not yet been released, but Salomé, a coordinator at the organization Utopia 56 which works closely with migrants in France, confirmed to InfoMigrants French, that they had been living in the Loon Plage camp. This is where migrants gather before attempting to cross the Channel to the UK.

One of the Utopia 56 coordinators was even in the area when the shootings took place and heard the cries of the two men, reported La Liberation.

On Saturday evening, added Salomé, people in the camp were feeling "terrified," and had asked Utopia 56 if they could find them alternative shelters. The coordinator explained that the road where the two men were shot was the main route in and out of the camp.

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A series of five shootings

There are currently about 500 people, including families, living in the camp, Salomé told InfoMigrants. Many of the residents are boys and young men, between nine and 17 years old. Following the shootings, a police guard was sent to the area and extra security was added around the camp and along the main road.

Due to safety concerns, members of Utopia 56 have not entered the camp since the shootings, but have met camp residents at distribution points. The authorities have not offered any alternative shelter to those in the camp, according to the charity.

Three other people were also shot dead in the area on Saturday. Investigators have yet to establish a link between the killings, La Liberation reported.

A local man, named as 22-year-old Paul D. is suspected of carrying out all five shootings. He turned himself in to police and remains in custody. Police found several shot guns in his car.

Dunkirk’s prosecutor Charlotte Huet told the press that inquiries were underway into a series of murders and the "acquisition, possession and transport of category A and B firearms."

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Searching for motives

According to La Liberation, no one yet knows the motives for the shootings. Paul D. had been unknown to police. He reportedly worked as a delivery driver and was living with his family in the town of Ghyvelde in a "well-maintained property," reported La Voix du Nord.

The paper said investigators are looking into whether or not Paul D. had an argument with his employer, who was reportedly the first to have been shot on Saturday evening. They are trying to establish whether he might also have had a disagreement with the two security guards who were shot not long after.

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A 'heavy atmosphere' in the camp at Loon Plage

Around 30 migrants gathered on Sunday to lay red roses and grieve for the victims of the shooting. There was a "heavy atmosphere," around the camp in Loon Plage, reported La Voix du Nord.

One man, a fellow Iranian, who gave his name as Mohajer, asked journalists at the paper, "Why? I just can’t understand why were they were killed, and how this could have happened. I didn’t know them personally, but we are from the same country, and so it makes me sad."

Another migrant, Ehsan, from Pakistan, said he had been walking along the railway line nearby and heard the two men crying for help. "I heard them calling for help, I ran towards where I heard the cries, but they were already dead."

Another migrant said he felt angry. "These are people who have left their own country to try and make their life better, and then a mad man comes along, and decides to take a gun and shoot them. Who would do that?" he said. "It is just a horrible situation, it could have been me, it could have been any of us here in this camp," reported La Voix du Nord.

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Holding vigils

Claire Millot from the organization Salam, based in the Calais area, said a vigil for the two men would be held on Monday evening in Malot, not far from the sea.

Salomé from Utopia 56 said many people also attended a vigil organized on Sunday for the two men. She added that the two Iranian Kurds were the 82nd and 83rd migrants to have lost their lives in the Calais area since the beginning of the year.

The suspect can be kept in police custody until Wednesday, after which he will need to be charged for the detention to be extended, reported La Liberation. Paul D. was reportedly a member of a shooting club and had a firearms licence.

The mayor of Dunkirk posted on X, "the reasons behind these crimes remain, as yet, unknown, but these senseless acts have touched our entire area. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims during this terrible time."

With additional reporting from Julia Dumont, InfoMigrants French