In a shocking incident that raised concerns about the security services’ willingness to use force, French police shot and killed a teenager outside of Paris on Tuesday as he tried to flee from a traffic check.
Prosecutors claim that the 17-year-old was pulled over by police early on Tuesday in a rental car in the Nanterre neighborhood of western Paris for breaking a number of traffic laws.
Two police officers are seen attempting to stop the car in a video that has been circulating on social media and has been verified by AFP. One of the officers is seen aiming a gun at the driver through the window and fire when the man drives off.
He was revived by emergency personnel on the site, but he passed away shortly after.
The Nanterre prosecutors’ office reported that the cop who is accused of shooting the driver has been jailed on suspicion of homicide.
Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, informed the legislature that the two police officers were being questioned and said the photographs shared on social media were “extremely shocking.”
In an interview with BFM television, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez acknowledged that the officer’s behavior “raises questions,” but he also suggested that it is possible the officer felt intimidated.
While everyone involved needed to wait for the outcome of the investigation, the family’s attorney Yassine Bouzrou stated to the same channel that the images “clearly showed a policeman killing a young man in cold blood.”
He added that the family had filed a complaint accusing the police of “lying” by originally alleging the automobile had attempted to run down the cops, saying, “This is a long way from any kind of legitimate defence.”
As tensions between the police and the community rose later on Tuesday night in Nanterre, protestors set fire to bus stops, a car on fire, and other objects.
Authorities reported that nine persons were detained as a result of the clashes.
No right to murder
At the time, there were two more occupants in the car. The first passenger fled, and the second, who was also a child, was detained.
The mayor of Nanterre, Patrick Jarry, expressed his “sincere condolences to the boy’s mother” and said he was “shocked” by the video pictures.
A record 13 fatalities were reported in 2022 as a result of refusals to stop for traffic signals. In these situations, five police officers have been charged.
Authorities and police unions attribute the 2022 data to an increase in risky driving, but academics also refer to a 2017 law that changed the terms under which police could use their firearm.
In the western town of Angouleme, a 19-year-old was killed by a police officer two weeks ago after striking him in the legs with his car.
The left reacted angrily and said that police had no right to kill individuals just because they would not stop.
“Yes, it is against the law to refuse to halt. However, the death penalty is not one of the punishments listed in the penal code, according to Manuel Bompard, the organizer of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party. Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, said “a refusal to stop does not provide a licence to kill.”
Source- NDTV
