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When a police officer shot and killed a teenager named Nahel M. in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday, outrage boiled over and spread across France. Protests have gripped big cities, as people call for justice — and riots have also broken out, bringing violence, fires, and hundreds of arrests.
The slain teen’s family has not released his surname, only his last initial.
Nahel’s killing is now a rallying call, in a similar way that George Floyd’s murder by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020 sparked widespread unrest over the police use of force, particularly against minorities.
Here’s what’s happening with the protests, and how it all got started.The teenager was shot Tuesday morning
Similar to the Floyd case in the U.S., videos of Nahel’s encounter with police have amplified public anger and distrust, after eyewitnesses and surveillance video contradicted the official narrative.
Nahel was driving a yellow Mercedes when he was shot at close range during a police stop near Nelson Mandela Square around 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry.
Footage from several vantage points shows that, despite early claims that two police officers were in grave danger when one of them opened fire, the pair were standing next to the driver’s window, with an officer pointing a gun inside, before the car began to move past them.
„You are going to get a bullet in the head,“ a voice is heard saying, according to the France24 news outlet. As the car moves forward, a single shot is heard. Nahel died at the scene; his car rolled forward, coming to a stop after hitting a utility pole.
Two other people were in the car with Nahel — one has spoken to police, but the other fled the scene and was being sought by law enforcement, Jarry said.The officer who shot Nahel is in custody
A police officer was taken into custody after the shooting — and on Thursday, prosecutor Pascal Prache announced a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide against the officer, saying that a review found the legal standard for the officer to use his gun had not been met when he fired at Nahel from close range.
The two officers were riding their motorcycles when they attempted to stop the car after seeing it speed through bus lanes, according to France’s BFM TV, citing a timeline issued by the prosecutor’s office.
