A 17-year-old driver, identified as Nahel M., was initially pulled over by two policemen in France on Tuesday for violating traffic regulations, according to prosecutors’ statement.
Initially, the police claimed that one officer had fired at the teenager because the car was being driven towards him. However, this narrative was contradicted by a video that surfaced on social media and was authenticated by AFP.
The video shows the two policemen standing next to the stationary car, with one officer pointing a weapon at the driver. A voice can be heard saying, “You are going to get a bullet in the head.”
At point-blank range, the police officer appears to shoot at the driver as the car abruptly drives off, moving a few dozen meters before crashing.
On voit bien qu’ils lui ont administré des coups de crosse au ralenti tu m’étonnes qu’il fuit face à la violence des actes + paroles #Nahel #nanterre pic.twitter.com/ed3iKer2Ea
— Ina (@_Akaney) June 28, 2023
The driver succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter. The 38-year-old policeman responsible for the fatal shot has been placed in custody and is currently under investigation for voluntary manslaughter.
Regarding the incident, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed on Wednesday that 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.
J’ai mal à ma France. 💙🤍💔💔💔
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) June 28, 2023
Une situation inacceptable.
Tout mes pensées vont pour la famille et les proches de Naël, ce petit ange parti beaucoup trop tôt.
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.”
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.