France: Shooting leads to mass gang brawl in Poitiers

A shootout between rival drug gangs left five teens injured with gunshot wounds and sparked a violent melee involving hundreds of participants late Thursday in the western French city of Poitiers.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told broadcaster BFM TV on Friday that drug-violence in France had reached a "tipping point."

Retailleau cited police reports that between 400 and 600 people carrying "all manner of weapons" had been involved in the fight.

"It started off with a shooting at a restaurant. It ended up with a clash between rival gangs that involved several hundred people," he said.

Police used teargas, reinforcements deployed

When police arrived at the scene on Thursday they deployed teargas and still needed nearly an hour to restore order.

First responders reportedly found a 15-year-old with a serious gunshot injury to the head, and two teens — 15 and 16 — who also sustained serious gunshot wounds. All three were hospitalized.

Two other individuals, both 16, went to the hospital emergency room on their own for treatment of minor injuries.

Police reported having found at least ten .22 caliber bullet casings at the scene and announced that state police would be deployed to Poitiers' Couronneries neighborhood where "tensions between different groups" were simmering.