PARIS (AP) — The man killed in Friday’s shooting in the Paris suburbs was an amateur mixed martial arts fighter, his club said, identifying the victim of what French authorities described as a racially motivated attack.

Man killed in suspected racist attack near Paris identified as martial arts fighter
Forensic investigators search for evidence after a shooting in Trappes, outside Paris, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

The Atch Academy in Aubervilliers, north of Paris, identified him as Pengo Bossio Wangi, 26, and paid tribute to him in an Instagram statement. French authorities have not publicly identified the victim.

Man killed in suspected racist attack near Paris identified as martial arts fighter
French President Emmanuel Macron meets community members at the town hall in Trappes, near Paris, France, Friday Oct. 23, 2026, after a shooting in the Parisian suburb left one person dead and several others wounded. (Hannah McKay/Pool Photo via AP)

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“Pengo was one of us,” the club wrote, remembering his smile, energy and generosity. “Nothing justifies a life being taken like this.”

Man killed in suspected racist attack near Paris identified as martial arts fighter
French President Emmanuel Macron meets community members at the town hall in Trappes, near Paris, France, Friday Oct. 23, 2026, after a shooting in the Parisian suburb left one person dead and several others wounded. (Hannah McKay/Pool Photo via AP)

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At least five other people, including a 12-year-old girl, were wounded when a gunman fired from a vehicle at three locations in Trappes and La Verrière, authorities said.

Man killed in suspected racist attack near Paris identified as martial arts fighter
Police search a car at a gas station after a shooting in Trappes, outside Paris, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

President Emmanuel Macron said Friday it was “a racist terror attack” and that the victims were targeted because of their “skin color or perceived religion.”

Man killed in suspected racist attack near Paris identified as martial arts fighter
Police stand near a park after a shooting in Trappes, outside Paris, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

A suspect was arrested soon after the shooting, and France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s office took charge of the case.

 

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