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French police mourn Xavier, another colleague killed in the name of terrorism

The shooting of a French police officer on the Champs-Elysées has once again left France's forces of law and order in mourning. Here's what we know about the victim who has been named as Xavier Jugélé.

French police mourn Xavier, another colleague killed in the name of terrorism
Secretary general of police union "Alternative police" Denis Jacob places flowers on the Champs-Elysées on Friday morning. Photo: AFP

Xavier Jugélé, a 37-year-old officer with the Paris police, was gunned down at around 9pm on Thursday night as he sat in the driver's seat of a police van on France's most famous avenue.

Two of his colleagues were also injured. Other officers who he was with kept a cool head and quickly “neutralized” the killer, a man now known to have held a grudge against police officers, and who had already been convicted in 2005 for attempted murder against police officers.

Xavier had spent his full career as a member of the Paris police and was the member of a unit tasked with maintaining public order in the capital.

He is just the latest Paris policeman to be killed in the line of duty by jihadists in recent years.

“All our thoughts go to his colleagues and family, whom the police community have tried to support as mush as possible throughout the night,” Celine Berthon, a French police union chief told Europe 1 radio.

Xavier was a member of Flag!, a LGBT organization within the French police force and had a partner.

Flag! sent out a tweet after the attack saying: “Shaken and moved by the tragedy that touched the National Police and Flag! which the deceased policeman was a member of”.

The “stunned and emotional” president of Flag! said all his condolences were with the officer's partner, family and close friends.”

President François Hollande has announced a national homage to the fallen officer will be held. 

France's presidential candidates also pledged support to the country's police officers.

Socialist Party's candidate Benoit Hamon declared live on BFMTV “We must cherish policemen for who they are: the shield protecting us and that makes them targets”. En Marche's Emmanuel Macron tweeted “I'm manifesting all my solidarity to the law enforcement. The victim's family is in my thoughts”.

“Honour to the police forces that sacrifice their lives to protect ours,” François Fillon tweeted.

Marine Le Pen said: “Emotion and solidarity to our police force, targeted again”.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon sent a message of solidarity to the family of the policeman as well as his injured colleagues.

To honour the victim, France's national police union “Alternative” has called on officers to symbolically lay a flower where their colleague was killed from 10.30am.

“Alternative Police CFDT presents its most sincere sympathy to Xavier's family, friend and loved ones”, the police union said in a statement.

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