Eric Robic, the French driver convicted of killing Israeli woman Lee Zeitouni in a 2011 hit-and-run in Tel Aviv, was shot dead Thursday morning in a targeted ambush in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
At around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, two helmeted assailants on an electric scooter fired at Robic from close range, and fled the scene within seconds.
A witness who alerted emergency services described the incident as a calculated execution. By the time police arrived, firefighters were already treating Robic, who was reportedly wearing a motorcycle helmet at the time of the shooting.
Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him as a woman at the scene was heard screaming. Robic was pronounced dead at 10:10 a.m., and his identity was officially confirmed about 30 minutes later.
“I’m shocked, and it’s frightening,” a local resident told French outlet Paris Match.
The Paris JIRS (Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction) prosecutor’s office has taken over the continuation of the investigation, Beccuau added.
The investigative framework and the unit in charge will be specified in the coming hours.
Robic was a known criminal
Beccuau told the Post that Robic was known to the justice system, and that his criminal record includes twelve convictions since 1994. He had been convicted of financial offenses, particularly against car dealerships and banking institutions, as well as aggravated involuntary manslaughter as a driver.
However, the most serious charge associated with his name remained manslaughter, stemming from the fatal 2011 incident in Tel Aviv in which Zeitouni, 25, was struck and killed.
In 2014, a Paris court sentenced Robic to five years in prison for aggravated manslaughter in connection with Zeitouni’s death. The case sparked widespread public outrage in Israel after Robic and his accomplice, Claude Khayat, fled to France hours after the incident.
A prolonged public and diplomatic campaign eventually led to their prosecution in France.
During the trial, it emerged that Robic had been driving under the influence of alcohol and at excessive speed, and failed to stop to assist Zeitouni after hitting her. Roi Feld, Zeitouni’s partner who led the public campaign for justice, said at the time that the verdict reflected recognition by the French legal system of the severity of the crime.