Serious riots broke out in the Paris suburb of Nanterre after a fatal police shot at a 17-year-old. Angry people set garbage cans, cars and an elementary school on fire. A police officer shot the driver at close range during a traffic check. Since there are video recordings of the situation, there is great outrage, and many people denounce excessive police violence. In France, people keep dying in banal vehicle checks.
The car of the killed youth, in which two passengers were sitting, was stopped by a police motorcycle patrol in Nanterre on Tuesday morning. A video verified by broadcaster France Info shows one of the officers pointing his gun at the level of the driver’s door at the stationary car. The situation seems to be under control, there are no signs of hectic movements. When the 17-year-old suddenly drives off at the wheel, the officer fires at the youngster at close range, fatally hitting him in the chest.
City Hall goes up in flames
The riots began on Tuesday evening with a demonstration in front of the police station in Nanterre, but then spread to other suburbs. People fired at emergency services with exploding fireworks. They erected barricades between the high-rise settlements and disabled firefighters during their operations, as reported by French media.
In Mantes-la-Jolie, west of Paris, a town hall was set on fire and burst into flames. The police used tear gas and rubber bullets, but retreated in the face of the massive attacks, sometimes at a run. According to authorities, 20 people were arrested.
Smoke and flames rise above a street in a Paris suburb.
(Photo: Eva Gueye/Reuters)
A “drama,” says the interior minister
As reported by the television channel France Info, the officer who fired the fatal shot was taken into police custody on suspicion of manslaughter. According to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, police supervision is investigating to clarify the incident. For the time being, the presumption of innocence applies to the official and his colleagues, the minister emphasized.
According to France Info, the patrol officers initially said that the youngster wanted to run them over. They later backed off from this version and said he hadn’t followed their orders and then suddenly accelerated – there was no longer any talk of an intention to kill. The teenager is said to have been known to police for previous traffic offenses and resisting law enforcement officers.
Family wants to take legal action
Interior Minister Darmanin described his death as a “drama”, but at the same time pointed out that resistance to state authority had resulted in the deaths of police officers in many cases. The boy’s family, through their lawyer, announced they would sue the shooter for murder and also for false testimony as his account of events was clearly contradicted by the video footage.
France’s soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé responded to the 17-year-old’s death with emotional words on Twitter: “I’m sorry for my France. An unacceptable situation. All my thoughts go to Naël’s family and his loved ones, this little angel who left far too soon is,” wrote the 24-year-old striker from champions Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.