Three men were killed by gunfire in Martinique overnight from December 19 to 20, 2025, bringing the island's total homicides to 40 for the year. Two victims were shot in the same neighborhood in Schœlcher, while the third died in a brawl in Lamentin. Authorities are calling for strengthened measures against gun violence.
The night of Friday December 19 to Saturday December 20, 2025, saw three shootings in Martinique, according to Agence France-Presse citing the prosecutor's office and security sources. The first incident occurred in the evening in the Ozanam neighborhood in Schœlcher, in the center of the island. A 19-year-old man was hit by two bullets to the thorax on a public road. His death was confirmed at 10:20 p.m. local time by an emergency doctor, as stated by prosecutor Yann Le Bris in a press release.
"According to initial testimonies collected, which the investigation entrusted to the gendarmerie's research section will confirm, moments before becoming the victim of the fatal shots, the deceased had a violent argument with another man over motives related to their romantic relationships," the magistrate added.
Around 12:15 a.m., as investigators were conducting scene examinations, shots were heard. A man was found at the foot of a building with a fatal head wound. A Taurus pistol was recovered from him, and public clamor identifies him as the possible perpetrator of the earlier shots, per the prosecutor.
The third homicide took place around 4:30 a.m. in Lamentin, on the sidelines of a festive event at the Carrère hippodrome. A brawl escalated, and a man was shot in the thorax. Three shell casings were found at the scene, and his death was declared around 5:00 a.m. The police judiciaire is handling the investigation, with no apparent link to the previous incidents.
These events bring the total homicides in Martinique to 40 in 2025, including 34 by firearm. Prefect Etienne Desplanques reaffirmed "his determination and the full mobilization of law enforcement in the fight against trafficking, particularly arms trafficking." Executive Council President Serge Letchimy urged the state to implement "urgent reinforced measures" in response to this "dramatic spiral." The homicide rate in Martinique is about six times the national average, a scourge shared with Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin.
