France's Serial Killer Executed Victim No. 4, 100 Investigators on Case
Residents in and around Paris are on edge after a fourth victim of a suspected serial killer was found last week, prompting check points and police raids.
The fourth victim, a 47-year-old woman, was shot in the head Thursday in Essonne, a few miles south Paris, officials said. Investigators have stated that this is the fourth fatal shooting in the Paris suburb with the same weapon in the past five months.
With residents uneasy about the thought of a serial killer, police have been increasing their patrols and are setting up more traffic check points in the area. The local police have also increased the number of police personal in the area to five times the normal amount, according to BFM-TV in France.
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Police officials have described the vehicle they are looking for in connection with the latest killing as a blue-and-white Suzuki motorbike, BFM-TV reported.
French Interior Minister Claude Gueant told radio station Europe 1 last week that he was concerned a serial killer might be behind the murders and that all resources were being directed to finding who is committing these horrific acts.
"We are putting every effort into finding out who is behind this," he said.
French prosecutor Marie-Suzanne Le Queau told reporters last week that more than 100 investigators have been working on the case and that ballistic tests revealed that the same weapon had been used in all four attacks, according to BFM-TV.
The previous three murders occurred last year Nov.27 and Feb. 22, while the third murder occurred March 17 of this year, she said.
France is also still recovering from the series of gun attacks in the southwestern cities of Toulouse and Montauban last month.
Mohammed Merah killed seven people in three attacks. He was killed at the end of a long standoff between police at his apartment in Toulouse.
