French prosecutors have opened a judicial investigation after investigators said one of the attackers filmed the fatal assault on 17-year-old Louis before the footage helped police identify five suspects. He was discovered by a construction worker at about 9:00 a.m. the following morning and was taken first to Narbonne Hospital before being transferred to Perpignan for specialist treatment.
Louis spent three days in a medically induced coma before dying in the hospital on Tuesday. Prosecutors believe he was lured to a construction site on Quai d'Alsace in Narbonne on the evening of 19 June, where he was allegedly attacked by a group before being left at the site.
Five suspects, including three minors and two 19-year-olds, have since been placed under investigation. Prosecutor Jean-Philippe Rey said they initially appeared before an investigating magistrate on allegations of attempted premeditated murder because Louis's death had not yet been formally recorded. The charges are expected to be updated following his death.
Video Helped Police Identify Suspects
Police said investigators identified the suspects after viewing a video of the assault that had circulated on social media. According to prosecutors, the footage showed several people repeatedly assaulting Louis while he lay on the ground before leaving him motionless at the scene.
Investigators have not released the footage publicly. Assistant police chief Ludovic Vinolas said the case had deeply affected detectives because of the victim's age and the level of violence involved.
The video enabled officers to identify five suspects, who were later arrested. Two were detained in Albi, while the remaining three were arrested after getting off a train in Narbonne.
WARNING - Horrific scenes from Narbonne France
— Basil the Great (@BasilTheGreat) June 24, 2026
This video has been released with approval of the victims family
A 17 year old boy named Louis was ambushed by a migrant gang and beaten into a coma, he sadly passed away from his injuries last night
The 5 attackers filmed the…
Teenager Was Found Hours After Attack
According to prosecutors, the attack happened at around 7:00 p.m. on Friday, 19 June. Louis is believed to have been lured to the construction site before being repeatedly beaten.
He was not discovered until the following morning when a construction worker arrived at the site. Emergency services found the teenager unconscious with serious head and facial injuries, including bruising around his eyes and bleeding from his nose and mouth.
Louis was initially taken to the hospital in Narbonne before being transferred to Perpignan in a critical condition. Despite treatment, he died on Tuesday from his injuries.
Motive Remains Under Investigation
Prosecutors said the motive has not yet been established. While investigators are examining whether the attack may have been linked to revenge, Jean-Philippe Rey said the explanations given by the suspects had been contradictory.
Authorities said the five suspects had little or no previous criminal history and were believed to know each other through youth care homes in the Occitanie region. Louis had been living in a children's home in Carcassonne under the care of France's child welfare service, Aide sociale à l'enfance, after being placed there at his family's request.
Justice for Louis 💔🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/qOK075V2q1
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2026
Investigators are now working to determine the role played by each suspect, whether the attack had been planned in advance and the circumstances that led Louis to the construction site. Prosecutors also reminded the public that all five suspects are presumed innocent while the investigation continues.
