A Paris police officer fatally shot a teenager who failed to stop during a traffic check, sparking protests in the suburb, according to reports.
The 17-year-old was in the Paris suburb of Nanterre when he was shot at by an officer after he failed to stop for a traffic check, prosecutors said.
Local media reported that emergency services tried to resuscitate him at the scene but he died shortly afterwards.
Le Monde reported that a video circulating on social media shows two police officers trying to stop a vehicle and one shooting point blank at the teenager when he failed to stop the car.
The car crashed after moving a few metres, the video reportedly shows.
The officer who shot the teen has been detained on homicide charges and fifteen people have been arrested by authorities after overnight protests.
Angry demonstrators set a car on fire, destroyed bus stops, and allegedly threw firecrackers towards police officers. The authorities resorted to tear gas and dispersion grenades, according to reports. Residents of the suburb also reached the police headquarters to register their protest against the erring police officer.
Video clips on social media showed protests erupting in Paris – 11km from the Nanterre suburb.
French television channel BFMTV quoted Paris police chief Laurent Nunez as saying that the officer’s actions “raises questions”.
Yassine Bouzrou, the teenager’s family lawyer said that the video “clearly showed a policeman killing a young man in cold blood”. Jennifer Cambla, another lawyer representing the family of the 17-year-old, called the death an “execution”.
Mr Bouzrou added that the family had filed a complaint accusing the police of “lying” by initially claiming the car had tried to run down the officers.
Interior minister Gerald Darmanin told parliament that the two police officers were being questioned and acknowledged that the images posted on social media were “extremely shocking”. He also urged people to “respect the grief of the family and the presumption of innocence of the police”.
Additional reporting from agencies
