On Saturday evening, a man with psychiatric history threatened police and firefighters with tear gas and an axe in an apartment in Paris's 18th arrondissement. Officers opened fire, wounding the man in the shoulder. He was hospitalized in absolute emergency, with no threat to his life.
The incident occurred on Saturday around 7:30 p.m. in a building on Boulevard Ney in Paris's 18th arrondissement. Firefighters called police to assist with a man showing suicidal tendencies and extreme agitation. Upon arriving at the fourth floor, officers found the apartment door ajar.
Inside, the man, who has a psychiatric history and was under the influence of drugs and medications, sprayed tear gas at the police and rescuers, according to a police source. Officers and firefighters retreated, and reinforcements arrived on scene.
The man then emerged from the apartment wielding an axe. One officer fired his service weapon, striking him in the right shoulder. No injuries were reported among the police.
The assailant was immediately attended to by the on-site firefighters and transported to Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in absolute emergency, though his life is not in danger. This intervention highlights the challenges emergency services face in situations involving mental health issues and substances.
