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, according to French media reports.
Two helmeted assailants riding a TMAX scooter approached Robic, opened fire at close range, and fled the scene within seconds, reports said.
The attack occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. local time and is being investigated as a premeditated killing.
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.
Robic was a known criminal
French media described Robic as well-known to law enforcement and involved in criminal activity, often presenting himself as a businessman. His criminal record in France included fraud, conspiracy, assault, contempt of court, and resisting arrest.
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.
As of Thursday, Paris police were continuing a manhunt for the two suspects, who escaped immediately after the shooting in the upscale suburb.
The killing comes more than a decade after one of the most high-profile criminal cases involving an Israeli victim abroad, leaving authorities to determine whether the ambush was linked to Robic’s criminal past.
“Police are pursuing all leads,” according to French reports, as the investigation continues.
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