More than 40,000 police officers will be deployed overnight in France as protests continue over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver, a French official said Thursday.
Law enforcement fired tear gas at thousands of people, including the teen’s mother, who gathered for a vigil march in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Thursday, multiplemediaoutlets reported. Valerie Pecresse, head of the Paris region, said on Twitter buses and trams will shut down Thursday night to ensure the safety of passengers and workers.
Violent protests erupted across the country after the teenager, identified as Nahel, was shot during a traffic stop captured on video Tuesday. Prosecutors said the officer who fired the fatal shot has been placed in provisional detention and given a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 170 officers had been injured. Darmanin said on Twitter at least 150 people were arrested as fires were set during “a night of unbearable violence” Wednesday. Darmanin said more than 5,000 officers would be deployed in Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the violence “totally unjustifiable” at an emergency security meeting Thursday. The meeting comes a day after Macron called for calm and told reporters the killing was “inexplicable and inexcusable.”
“Nothing justifies the death of a young person,” he said.
What happened during the shooting?
Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said police spotted a Mercedes with Polish license plates that was quickly heading toward a neighborhood near Université Paris Nanterre. They attempted to stop it twice because the driver looked very young, Prache said.
He said the driver went through a red light and committed several traffic violations, citing police and surveillance footage. The car was forced to stop at another stoplight, and officers drew their weapons, telling the driver to pull over, turn off the engine and get out of the car, according to Prache.
Video of the shooting shows two officers leaning into the driver-side window of the yellow car seconds before one fired as the car drove away. The footage also shows the car after it crashed.
Prache said the officer who fired a single shot felt “threatened” as the car sped away and feared someone could be run over. He said the driver was struck in the arm and the chest and died at the scene.
What happened to the officers?
The officer who shot the teen was taken into custody and is being investigated, according to Prache, who said based upon an initial investigation “the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met.” He said the officer could face up to 10 years in prison.
Preliminary charges mean investigating judges have strong reason to suspect wrongdoing, but they allow time for further investigation before a decision is made on whether to send the case to trial. The police officer has been placed in provisional detention, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Laurent-Franck Liénard, a lawyer for the officer who fired the shot, told the RTL radio station the officer was having an “extremely hard time” after being detained and firing his weapon was “an extremely difficult decision,” the New York Times reported.
Prache said the other officer has been placed on suspended leave. He said two magistrates will lead the investigation.
An attorney for Nahel’s family, Yassine Bouzrou, told The Associated Press they want the officer prosecuted on a murder charge.
A lawyer representing Nahel’s family told a French television outlet Nahel had no criminal record, according to the New York Times. One of the passengers in the car was released, but another person who was present in the car is still being sought by police, Prache said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
