Paris, Jul. 6, (dpa/GNA) – The policeman being investigated on suspicion of manslaughter after the fatal shooting of a teenager during a traffic check near Paris remains in custody.
A request for the release of the 38-year-old officer was rejected on Thursday, the court in Versailles dealing with the case announced.
Referring to internal investigation documents, from which the newspapers Le Parisien and Le Monde quoted, the colleague of the officer who would later fire the fatal bullet threatened the 17-year-old at the wheel during the check: “You’ll get a bullet in the head.”
The officer now in custody reportedly shouted “Turn it off, turn it off!” and hit the windscreen to get the teenager to turn off the car.
According to investigation documents, the officer said during questioning that he fired because he feared his colleague would be carried away by the moving car. The second officer, however, testified that he had only put one arm in the driver’s window. The shooter also said that he had aimed at the lower half of the youth’s body. However, because he lost his balance when the car started, the shot hit his chest.
France has been shaken by riots and protests against police violence since the death of the 17-year-old identified by his first name Nahel during the check last week. There have been repeated incidents of looting, arson and violent confrontations between police officers and rioters.
In the meantime, the unrest has subsided. The concern, however, is that they will flare up again for the French National Day holiday on July 14.
Meanwhile, a right-wing extremist’s fundraising campaign for the family of the arrested policeman sparked a fierce controversy, raising over €1.6 million ($1.74 million).
This is considerably more than a collection started in support of Nahel’s mother, in which around 23,000 people have taken part, and raised about €450,000 so far.
GNA