Unrest in France after killing of delivery driver by police: What has happened so far

A 17-year-old delivery driver Nael was shot and killed by a police officer Tuesday in the Paris suburb during a traffic check. According to a statement from the prosecutor's office, the victim was wounded by a gunshot and died at the scene. The teenager's family filed a legal complaint against the officers for homicide, complicity in homicide, and false testimony, AP report said.

A video widely shared on social media shows two police officers leaning into the driver-side window of a yellow car before the vehicle pulls away and one officer fires toward the driver. The car is later seen crashed into a post nearby.

The Prosecutor's office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre said the police officer was detained on suspicion of manslaughter and has been in custody. Also, a passenger in the car was briefly detained and released, and police searched for another passenger who fled.

A lawyer for Nael's family, Yassine Bouzrou, told The Associated Press they want the police officer pursued for murder instead of manslaughter, and want the investigation handed to a different region because they fear Nanterre investigators won't be impartial. The lawyer rejected a reported statement by the police officers that they believed their lives were in danger because the driver had threatened to run them over.

In a video shared on TikTok, a woman identified as the victim's mother called for a memorial march in Nanterre on Thursday. "Everyone come, we will lead a revolt for my son," she said. Nael's surname has not been released by authorities or by his family.

The death elicited nationwide concern and widespread messages of indignation and condolences. Bouquets of orange and yellow roses were tied to the post where the car crashed after the shooting, on Nanterre's Nelson Mandela Square.

Mbappe, who grew up in the Paris suburb of Bondy, was among those who were shocked by what happened.“I hurt for my France. Unacceptable situation. All my thoughts go to the family and loved ones of Nael, this little angel gone much too soon,” he tweeted.

Government officials condemned the killing and sought to distance themselves from the police officer's actions.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the shooting death by police “inexcusable” and pleaded for calm while justice takes its course. “Nothing justifies the death of a young person,” Macron told reporters in Marseille, calling what happened “inexplicable and inexcusable".

Speaking to Parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said, “The shocking images broadcast yesterday show an intervention that clearly appears as not complying with the rules of engagement of our police forces."

 

The death sparked unrest in the streets of Nanterre and local residents agitated outside the police headquarters. Clashes first erupted Tuesday night in Nanterre, a town west of Paris, and nearby, and the government deployed 2,000 police to maintain order Wednesday. But violence resumed after night fell, and police and firefighters struggled to contain protesters and extinguish numerous blazes.

Fires could be seen burning at some intersections in the suburb and protesters shot fireworks at police, video from the suburb showed. On the second night after the death, Paris and other big cities witnessed scattered violence.

The Nanterre neighborhood where Nael lived remained on edge Wednesday, with police on guard around the regional administration and burned car wreckage and overturned garbage bins still visible in some areas. Fire damaged the town hall of the Paris suburb of L’Ile-Saint-Denis, not far from France’s national stadium and the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Guardian report said police have arrested at least 77 people in Paris and the surrounding suburbs during a second night of protests. On Wednesday night, around 2,000 riot police were delpoyed in and around Paris on Wednesday night. Police also clashed with agitators in few cities.

Several people have died or sustained injuries at the hands of French police in recent years, prompting demands for more accountability. France also saw protests against racial profiling and other injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by police in Minnesota. Asked about police abuses, President Macron said justice should be allowed to run its course.