On Tuesday, a French police officer shot a 17-year-old teenage boy for failing to comply with an order to stop his car and fleeing a traffic check. The incident occurred in Nanterre, located about 30 km west of Paris.
Murder or Self Defense?
The incident occurred when an Algerian-origin boy, identified as Nael, was driving a rental Mercedes AMG, and two people were sitting in passenger seats when police pulled them over for violating some driving rules.
However, Nael tried to pull away from the officers, due to which one officer pointed his weapon at the driver through the front window and shot the boy. The car went forward a few yards before crashing into a post.
An ambulance was rushed to the scene, but Nael died from gunshot wounds in the chest. One passenger in the car was detained but later released. However, police are searching for another passenger who managed to flee.
Anger against Police
This incident has created outrage in the city against the police force, and residents are questioning the Judgement of the Police for shooting over a traffic violation.
As the news of the incident started spreading, people took onto the street to protest, due to which clashes broke out between protesters and police in the evening.
Some protesters also set fire to parked cars, barricades and garbage bins, along with smashing up bus stations and throwing firecrackers toward police, who responded with dispersion grenades and tear gas to control the crowd.
Investigation commences
Police have opened two separate investigations, one into a possible killing by the officer and another into Nael’s failure to stop his vehicle and attempt to kill a police officer.
Due to such a massive outrage, the officer that shot dead the teenager was detained on homicide charges. Interior Minister of France Gerald Darmanin also told parliament that the investigation of the incident has started, and the two police officers are being interrogated.
Police Commissioner of Paris Laurent Nunez said the officer’s action raises questions. However, he also said it was possible the officer felt threatened.
Meanwhile, Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry paid sincere condolences to the boy’s mother. He said he was shocked by the incident and hoped the investigation would soon reveal why and how this tragedy occurred.
The prosecutor’s office said the driver had also refused to comply with a traffic stop on a previous occasion.
A recent history of French Police and traffic stops
Deadly use of firearms is not common in France. However, several people have died or sustained injuries at the hands of French police in recent years, prompting demands for more accountability.
A similar incident happened just a few weeks ago when a 19-year-old driver was shot dead by police in Angouleme after the driver allegedly hit an officer in the legs during a traffic stop.
In 2020, two people died by police firing for not complying with a traffic stop. That number increased to three the following year. However, alarms were raised when 13 people died from police shootings in 2022. Meanwhile, it is the second such incident of this year so far.
