A young woman was shot and killed in Nice on Wednesday evening after her car was fired upon by a man riding a scooter, while her baby, who was in the vehicle with her, escaped unharmed, authorities said.
According to Le Parisien, the shooting occurred shortly before 6 p.m. at the junction of Avenue Henri-Matisse and Boulevard Napoléon III, in the west of the city. The victim, aged 25, was driving when the attacker pulled alongside her vehicle and opened fire with a handgun.
Local prosecutor Damien Martinelli said the woman was already in cardiac arrest when emergency services arrived. “Their efforts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful,” he told French media. A murder investigation has been opened.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene following the shooting. One resident said the sound of gunfire prompted them to rush to their balcony, where they saw the woman’s BMW roll downhill along Avenue Henri-Matisse before crashing into a pole. “It was exactly 6 p.m. when we heard gunshots,” the witness said. “We went straight outside, called the fire department, and tried to provide first aid for 20 minutes, then we waited for the police to arrive.”
NEW: 🇫🇷🚨 A young woman was shot dead in her car this evening in Nice while travelling with her young child.
The attack occurred around 6 p.m. while the vehicle was on Avenue Matisse.
This footage shows multiple bullet entries into the driver's side of the vehicle.
The shooter… pic.twitter.com/dEfeNHv1F3
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) January 21, 2026Several witnesses said the woman appeared to have shielded her baby during the attack. “From what I understand, the woman dove on top of her baby, who was in the passenger seat, to protect him; that’s why she seems to have been shot in the torso,” one witness told Le Parisien. “We immediately got the baby out of the car.”
Some witnesses reported hearing up to 10 gunshots and said two men were involved, while others said only one shooter was seen on the scooter. “As soon as he fired, the scooter driver drove off immediately,” another witness said. “It’s a very quiet neighborhood; I’ve lived here all my life. It’s shocking to shoot a woman and a baby.”
Emergency services deployed around 20 firefighters and multiple vehicles to the scene.
A scooter believed to have been used in the attack was found abandoned without license plates near the Nice-Ville train station shortly after the shooting.
Immense émotion et profonde colère après la mort d’une jeune femme, visée par des tirs alors qu’elle était avec son bébé, heureusement sain et sauf.
Je me suis immédiatement rendu sur place, avenue Henri Matisse, aux côtés des forces de l’ordre et de secours.
Toute la lumière… pic.twitter.com/pnpRxRar8C
— Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) January 21, 2026ActuNice reported that the city’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, visited the scene and condemned the killing. “Immense emotion and profound anger after the death of a young woman, targeted by gunfire while she was with her baby, who thankfully is safe and sound,” he said. “The full truth must come out about this despicable act, and the perpetrators must be found as quickly as possible. The City of Nice will put all its resources at the service of the investigators.”
Éric Ciotti, the center-right member of parliament for Alpes-Maritimes, also reacted. “Absolute tragedy on Avenue Henri Matisse in Nice: a woman was shot dead in her car,” he said. “A baby, present in the vehicle despite it being riddled with bullet holes, miraculously escaped unharmed.”
Later reporting by Le Figaro noted the victim was of Cape Verdean nationality, while police confirmed that a suspect believed to be the owner of the scooter has been arrested, though it remains unclear whether he is the person who fired the shots.
