Paris, June 29, (dpa/GNA) – The public prosecutor’s office in France has opened a formal investigation for manslaughter against the police officer, who is said to have fatally shot a teenager during a traffic stop near Paris.
The officer is to be remanded in custody, the public prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre announced on Thursday.
According to the current state of the investigation, the legal requirements for the use of the weapon had not been met. Video surveillance images, witnesses’ videos and witness statements had made it possible to reconstruct the circumstances of the check, the statement added.
According to prosecutors, the 17-year-old had been driving at high speed in Nanterre on Tuesday morning with two passengers onboard the vehicle, and had crossed a bus lane. A first attempt by two police officers on motorbikes to stop him at a traffic light failed.
The young man drove away on a red light, and continued his escape on pavements, the public prosecutor’s office said.
When the officers caught up with him a little later and stopped him, they both pointed their weapons at the teenager at the level of the driver’s door and demanded that he switch off the engine. When the suspect suddenly drove off, one officer fired a shot, the statement said.
GNA