Unrest over police killing of teen rocks France for second night

Thousands of extra security forces in France are seen dealing with a second night of protest after a teen driver, named Nahel M, was fatally shot Tuesday by police near Paris during a traffic check. The 17-year-old was shot at point-blank range as he drove off and soon crashed.

While protesters in Toulouse started a fire and pelted stones at firefighters, a number of people also clashed with the security forces in the northern city of Lille. About 300 people gathered in the western town of Rennes to pay tribute to the teen, local media reported.

Tweet Criticises Teen’s Parents For Failing To “Educate Their Son”

President Emmanuel Macron condemned the “unforgivable” shooting. But his comments soon got police unions furious as they accused him of rushing to judge the officers involved. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he would be taking action against a group.

He was talking about France Police, after the group published a tweet seeking to justify the shooting. The now-deleted tweet commended the officers involved but blamed the teen’s parents for the killing, claiming they couldn’t “educate their son”.

Incident Brings Renewed Attention To A 2017 Law Change

Nahel, reportedly coming from a French-Algerian family, is the second person this year in France to have been killed in a police shooting during a traffic stop. A record 13 people lost their lives this way in 2022. Such incidents have introduced a 2017 law change to greater criticism.

Rights groups have raised concerns over the change which broadened the framework for when officers can use their firearms. Since the update, the number of shootings at moving vehicles has been substantially higher, Le Monde newspaper reported, citing official statistics.

Since 2017, most of the victims of such deadly police shootings during traffic checks were Arab or Black, Reuters reported. The officer accused of killing Nahel is currently in custody on charges of voluntary manslaughter.

Authorities Open Two Separate Probes

The accused said he fired at the boy because he felt his life was at risk. According to local media, police initially suggested the victim drove his vehicle towards them, intending to hurt them. But footage online shows an officer appearing to fire at the boy as he tries to drive off.

Following the shocking incident, authorities in France have opened two separate investigations – one into a possible killing by a police officer, and another into the teen’s failure to stop his car and the alleged attempt to kill a public official.