Tottenham Hotspur player Serge Aurier's brother shot dead in France

Tottenham Hotspur player Serge Aurier's younger brother Christopher Aurier was shot dead outside a nightclub in an industrial zone on the outskirts of Toulouse, France. He was shot in the stomach and was declared dead in a city hospital.

The police failed to catch the suspected killer as the culprit escaped the scene before emergency services were called. The reason behind the shooting is still unknown. As per reports, an investigation has been launched and the police are looking for potential witnesses and searching for people who can come forward with valuable information about the case.

Christopher, like his brother, was originally a citizen of the Ivory Coast and also a footballer. He was playing in France.

In a statement released on their official website, Tottenham wrote, "The club is deeply saddened to confirm media reports that Serge Aurier's brother passed away in the early hours of this morning. We are supporting Serge at this difficult time and we ask that the privacy of the player and his family is respected. Everybody at the club sends their sincerest condolences to Serge and his family. Our thoughts are with them all."

BBC reports that the emergency services arrived on the scene of the shooting at around 05:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Monday. Before then, the locals called the police as soon as they found the victim lying on the ground with gunshot wounds on his stomach. Reportedly, two bullets were fired outside the nightclub, which eventually claimed Christopher's life.

The 26-year-old was a member French football team Rodéo Toulouse. The club played in the French fifth division last season. Before joining Rodéo Toulouse, Christopher had also played for Gueugnon, Racing Club de Lens, Chantilly as well as Belgian club Rebecq.

His 27-year old brother Serge plays as a right-back for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur apart from captaining the Ivory Coast national team.

In 2017, Serge signed for Tottenham and so far has appeared in 80 matches for the club. In his most recent club appearance, he played the full 90 minutes as the Spurs won 2-1 against Arsenal. Serge also has 62 international caps to his name. He was a part of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations title-winning squad.