Friday morning, October 23, in Trappes and La Verrière — two towns west of Paris. Around 10 a.m., a man opened fire from a grey Renault Clio with a Sten-type submachine gun, hitting location after location over about 15 to 20 minutes: a car carrying a mother and her daughter, the facade of a medical centre, a public square, a petrol station, and streets in the neighboring town. When it was over, one man was dead and five people were wounded, including a 12-year-old girl.
The man killed was Pengo B.-W., 26, from Poissy. He was an amateur MMA practitioner — one of ours. His club, Atch Academy in Seine-Saint-Denis, posted a tribute after the news broke: "Pengo was one of us. On the mat and off it, he led by example: present, respectful, always ready to help others rise. His smile, his energy, and his generosity will remain etched into our walls and our hearts. Today, words fail. Nothing can justify a life being taken this way."
The 12-year-old girl was shot eight times, according to her mother's account, and remained in serious condition along with two other wounded people. The gunman was arrested about 20 minutes after the first shots, in Coignières, by the Anti-Crime Brigade. Officers recovered the submachine gun and a tear-gas canister from his car. His home had been booby-trapped with gas canisters.
The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office took over the investigation, opening charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, with the aggravating circumstance that the acts were committed because of the victims' real or supposed race, ethnicity, nation, or religion. The suspect told first responders he had acted to avenge shopkeepers and had targeted Black people and Arabs. Investigators were still awaiting confirmation of those statements in formal questioning as of Saturday.
This one is personal for the fight world. Pengo trained. He showed up. He helped others rise. He was 26 years old, and he was killed for being in the wrong place on an ordinary Friday morning — the kind of morning any of us have had a hundred times.
The DAOS take: martial arts teaches awareness before it teaches anything else, and this is why. Know your exits when you are out in public. If shooting starts, run first — get distance, get behind cover, get out of the line of fire. Hide if you cannot run. Fight only when there is no other option, and only if you can do it without putting more people in danger. And check on your people. The mat is a family. So is the block. Rest in peace, Pengo.
Sources: Le Monde · Le Monde · Wikipedia
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