Violent protests shook western Paris suburbs overnight Wednesday after police shot dead a teenager during a traffic stop and then appeared to have lied about the circumstances of the killing. An officer has been detained and is under investigation for voluntary manslaughter.
The 17-year-old driver, identified only as Nahel M., was pulled over by two policemen on Tuesday for breaking traffic rules, prosecutors said.
Police initially reported that one officer shot at the teenager because he was driving his car at him, but this version of events was contradicted by a video circulating on social media and authenticated by AFP.
The footage shows the two policemen standing by the side of the stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at the driver. A voice is heard saying: "You are going to get a bullet in the head."
The police officer appears to fire at the driver at point-blank range as the car abruptly drives off, advancing a few dozen metres before crashing.
The driver died shortly thereafter.
The 38-year-old policeman seen firing the lethal shot was taken into custody and is now under investigation for voluntary manslaughter.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday the shooting was “inexplicable” and “unforgivable”.
“Nothing can justify the death of a young person,” said Macron on the third day of a visit to Marseille.
Macron said the incident had “moved the entire nation”.
Nahel M.'s lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, said he would file a legal complaint against the policeman for voluntary manslaughter and against his colleague for complicity in the shooting.
Bouzrou also said he would file a complaint against the policemen for giving false testimony for claiming that Nahel M. had tried to run them over.
There were two passengers in the car at the time of the shooting. One ran off and the other, also a teenager, was briefly detained.
Protests erupt
News of the incident sparked protests in Nanterre, a western Paris suburb. Bins were set alight and a fire broke out at a music school while police tried to disperse the protesters with teargas. Protests then spread to neighbouring suburbs.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said Wednesday that 31 people had been arrested overnight, 24 police were slightly injured and around 40 cars torched.
Celebrities and politicians voiced outrage at the shooting. Initial reports referred to the victim as Naël.
"I am hurting for my France," tweeted Kylian Mbappé, captain of the French men's national football team and star player at Paris Saint-Germain.
"An unacceptable situation. All my thoughts go to the friends and family of Naël, that little angel who left us far too soon," Mbappé said.
Actor Omar Sy, famous for his role in the film "The Intouchables" and the "Lupin" TV show, said on Twitter: "I hope that justice worthy of the name will honour the memory of this child."
Far-left politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for "a complete redesign of the police force" and admonished police actions by saying that France "no longer has the death penalty".
Green Party officials also spoke out, denouncing the "Americanisation" of French police tactics.
"What I see in this video is a 17-year-old kid being executed, in France in 2023, by a police officer on a public highway," said the Greens' Marine Tondelier. "It seems like we are heading towards an Americanisation of the police," she warned, adding: refusal to comply with police orders is normally "three years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros, not a bullet in the head".
Interior Minister Darmanin – who has previously backed the police in similar situations – called the video footage "extremely shocking" in parliament.
He said Wednesday that the officer would be suspended "if the charges against him are upheld".
He also announced that 2,000 police would be deployed to deal with any further violence later in the day.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
