Tourists and Parisians Panic at Shooting on the Champs-Élysées

The shooting on Thursday night, April 20 at a time when many tourists gathered around the area

The crowd at Champs-Élysées - Image Credit M Paath Djojonegoro

The shooting at the Champs-Élysées, Paris is the latest terror event, according to news from AFP, the incident is so fast that it makes most of the foreign tourists who are gathering, not even realizing what is going on.

They even seem to think everything is part of the crowd, they joke with some friends, take photos, and some are 'selfies'.

But. Apparently this city, quoting the site detikCom, Friday, April 21, that is always called a romantic city, is currently not lucky with a series of bad events, the continuous terror.

A 39-year-old woman, who is having dinner at one of the restaurants on the Champs-Élysées, wants to warn passersby, crowding, after she realizes what's going on.

"People are running around, colliding with each other and crashing into tables."

Paris seems to be an attractive choice, not just for tourists from all over the world, but even terrorists choose it. Of course terror considerations that occur can provide broad coverage for the world, anyone.

The perpetrators opened fire with automatic weapons in the middle of the lively Champs-Élysées area. The victim had fallen, a French policeman, and two others were injured, even a tourist hit by bullets in the knee.

There is no choice for the city security, they shoot the offender, while trying to escape by running.

The woman said that no one understands what is happening, even the gathered tourists are still busy with laughter, photos together, selfie, selfie, wefie, and they really enjoy the atmosphere of the evening crowd on the Champs Elysees.

"The waiter asked us to move to the back of the restaurant, but there was no way out so we had to hide in the backyard."

No one doubts the nighttime charms there, a 2-kilometer-long area with a row of fancy restaurants, branded boutiques and shops.


Cafe George V, Champs-Élysées - Image Credit M Paath Djojonegoro

Some of the townspeople who have realized what happened, then run around, hiding into restaurants, cinemas and shops nearby.

A communication consultant, Mehdi, looks panicky.

"I heard gunshots and I found out what happened, I saw two people on the asphalt and people screaming, running in all directions, I was scared, I went straight away, I did not even pay the bill."

While hundreds of armed police carrying machine guns and wearing bulletproof vests attracted the attention of other tourists, but then the security forces asked them to immediately avoid the area.

Champs-Élysées was temporarily closed to the public.

A female tourist from Australia, 34, talks to someone and wants to return to the hotel.

"I just want to go home."

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Source: Novi Christiastuti - detikNews, AFP
Image: M Paath Djojonegoro - Paris