Night of anarchy in Paris after police shooting of French-Algerian teenager during traffic stop
28 June 2023, 00:33 | Updated: 30 June 2023, 06:15
Riots erupted in Paris overnight after a police officer shot a French-Algerian teenager dead during a traffic stop.
Footage of the incident went viral with the police officer reportedly telling the youth “I’m going to lodge a bullet in your head.”
Nael M, 17, a delivery driver, was killed in the shooting which has been described as ‘an execution’.
The video spread on social media, fuelling fury at police who had claimed they opened fire after the driver tried to ram them with his car.
French prosecutors said the officer shot at the boy and he later died from his injuries, despite efforts from an ambulance crew to resuscitate him.
In a video shared online, the two officers are stood by the car, with one pointing a gun through the window to the front passenger, and when the driver of the car pulls away, he shoots.
Reports claim the officer shouted “I’m going to lodge a bullet in your head” before taking fire.
The lawyer for Nael’s family, Yassine Bouzrou, said the video "clearly showed a policeman killing a young man in cold blood", the Mirror reported.
The officer has since been arrested and placed in custody.
The news of the teenager’s death appears to have sparked outcry in the Parisian suburb, as it attracted riots from local young communities on Tuesday evening.
Bins and barricades were set ablaze, firecrackers were thrown at police and officers reacted with dispersion grenades and teargas.
So far it is believed nine people have been arrested.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin urged those involved to: “Respect the grief of the family and the presumption of innocence of the police.”
It comes after France reported a record number of police shootings related to traffic stops last year.
The death of the 17-year-old is the second time this has happened in 2023 so far.
Mornia Labssi, who said she had spoken to the victim’s family and is an anti-racism campaigner said: “As a mother from Nanterre, I have a feeling of insecurity for our children.”
The IGPN national police inspectorate says it has opened an investigation into a possible “intentional killing by a person holding a position of public authority.”
