Man killed in suspected racist attack near Paris identified as martial arts fighter

PARIS -- 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.

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.

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

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.

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.”

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