At least 31 people have been arrested in clashes that erupted overnight Tuesday following public outrage over the shooting death of a 17-year-old motorist in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. The teen allegedly failed to comply with a police order to stop his car.
Police authorities said the situation was "contained" shortly before midnight, although tensions arising from the death of the youth, identified as Nahel M, appear to have continued through much of the night.
Forty vehicles were set on fire during violence that gripped several cities in the Paris region, while riot police used tear gas to break up protesters.
Authorities said 24 police officers suffered minor injuries.
Calling for calm, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said 2,000 police and gendarmes would be deployed to prevent fresh clashes on Wednesday. He also urged an official investigation to uncover "the truth".
President Emmanuel Macron had expressed his “emotion” at Nahel's death when question during a visit to Marseille, adding that "nothing justifies the death of a young person".
During questioning in the Senate, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the police intervention "obviously did not seem to comply with the rules" of law enforcement, adding that "only justice" would shed light on the tragedy.
Outpouring of grief
Nahel is the second person this year to die in a police shooting during a traffic stop, and his killing has aroused great emotion – not least in the city where the teenager lived.
On Twitter thousands of people shared messages of support for Nahel's family and loved ones.
Actor Omar Sy, known for the film "The Intouchables" and the TV show "Lupin", sent them his "thoughts and prayers" and asked for "justice worthy of the name".
Meanwhile French football captain Kylian Mbappe said he had been pained by the loss of Nahel, a “little angel gone far too soon” as a result of an “unacceptable situation”.
Another footballer on the national team, Jules Koundé, denounced a “new police blunder”.
Far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon called for "a complete redesign of the police force".
J’ai mal à ma France. 💙🤍💔💔💔
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) June 28, 2023
Une situation inacceptable.
Tout mes pensées vont pour la famille et les proches de Naël, ce petit ange parti beaucoup trop tôt.
Nahel's family lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, said two complaints would be filed against the police in the coming days.
One would target the officers for intentional homicide and complicity, and a second would be levelled at them for “lying” after claiming the car had attempted to run them down.
Nahel's mother has called for a white march to held on Thursday near the local police headquarters where her son died.
How events unfolded
Prosecutors said Nahel had been driving a rental car near the RER train station in Nanterre, a western Paris suburb, when police pulled him over for violating road rules.
A video circulating on social media, which Darmanin desribed as "extrelemy shocking", shows two police officers trying to stop the car, with one pointing his weapon at the driver through the window and firing at close range when the vehicle pulls away.
It then crashes after driving a few dozen metres.
There were two passengers in the car. One ran off and the other, also a teenager, was briefly detained.
Reports say the officer fired at the boy, who subsequently died from bullet wounds to the chest.
Several probes
The officer accused of shooting him has been detained on homicide charges, while an investigation has been launched by the general inspectorate of the police (IGPN).
Darmanin said the actions shown in the footage were "not in line with what we want from the police", adding that if the images are confirmed to be authentic, they still did not justify the ensuing public violence.
He urged the investigation to uncover "the truth".
In 2022 France logged a record 13 deaths from police shootings. A Reuters tally showed the majority of victims were black or of Arabic origin.
