Gangland gun battle in broad daylight rocks Montpellier

Riot control units, paramilitaries and army units were deployed to help a large police unit secure an area where two ‘rival gangs’ had a shootout in broad daylight.
Loud bangs were heard near the Assas Tower, in the north-western La Paillade district of Montpellier, as gang members fired pistols and rifles at each other. Police said at least one person was injured, and was taken to hospital under police escort.
Local media reported the gunfight was instigated by two gangs, and some witnesses claimed the dispute was over a drug deal.
The French police union issued a statement saying there had been ‘an incredible rise in violence and delinquency’ in the area, and that only help from ‘substantial police reinforcements’ could help resolve the issue. It said, ‘Montpellier is on its way to becoming the one of the most crime-ridden cities in France.