Hundreds Gather for Funeral of MMA Prospect Killed in Trappes Racist Attack

Hundreds of mourners gathered on November 7, 2026, at the landscaped cemetery in Guyancourt in the Yvelines department to attend the funeral of Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old French mixed martial arts hopeful who was killed in a racist attack in Trappes on October 23.

Mourners Gather in Guyancourt for Final Farewells

The service drew family members, friends, colleagues, and strangers who wore bright colors at the request of the victim’s family. Bertine, a cousin of one of the victim’s grandmothers, described the immense turnout and shared grief. We are already gathered within the family, but the pain brings us together even more, she said, wearing an orange dress in accordance with the funeral notices. She added that people came from everywhere, including individuals the victim did not know. Attendees held roses surrounded by black paper under a break in the blue sky, while silence at the autumnal scenery was broken only by whispers and the rustle of dead leaves.

Pengo Bossio Wangi lost his life when Kevin T. opened fire in Trappes on October 23. The shooting also left seven other people injured, including an 11-year-old girl who was gravely wounded in the neighboring commune of La Verrière. National antiterrorist prosecutor Olivier Christen stated that the suspect acknowledged specifically targeting individuals of Muslim, African, or North African descent.

Family and Community Demands for Accountability

Following the funeral, the mother and two sisters of Pengo Bossio Wangi released a statement calling on politicians and the media to examine their own moral responsibility regarding hate speech. They urged every citizen to recognize how hostile rhetoric can poison minds. The family described Pengo as a young man of the Republic who was killed because he was Black, representing the rich diversity and talent of France, and noted that millions of citizens worry about potential harm due to their origins or perceived religious belonging.

Attendees at the ceremony echoed these concerns about safety and societal division. She cares for children aged 19, 15, and 10, and explained that being a mother from the Black community rooted in Trappes made her feel personally concerned, emphasizing the importance of showing solidarity regardless of religion or color. Another mourner, a 42-year-old man who traveled from the Hauts-de-Seine department, stated that an innocent person had fallen, meaning everyone is touched even without knowing the victim’s father, Bolema, and called the victim a son, brother, and nephew to all. A 40-year-old friend of the father remarked that while the term black, blanc, beur feels outdated, the gathered crowd reflected that unity in grief rather than celebration, while blaming media outlets for fueling a fire that allegedly drove Kevin T. to commit the act.