This 17-Year-Old French Teen Was Shot Dead By Police And People Are Rioting

Huge riots have broken out across France after a 17-year-old boy was shot dead in broad daylight by police.

Nahel M., who was of Algerian descent, had been driving in a yellow Mercedes AMG with two passengers in Nanterres, a suburb in Paris, at around 8 am on Tuesday June 27 when he was stopped by two police officers.

Video of the incident shared on social media showed one officer pointing a gun through the driver window of the car while the other officer speaks to Nahel.

Someone can then be heard saying, “You’re going to get shot in the head” in the video, although it’s not clear who uttered the sentence.

The car is then seen starting to drive off, and the police officer with the gun fires at point blank range towards the driver’s seat.

The car continued to accelerate forward before crashing into a post.

Despite being attended to by emergency services, Nahel was pronounced dead at 9:15am “following at least one gunshot wound”, according to a statement from the Nanterre prosecutor’s office, CNN reported.

The BBC reported he had been shot in the chest.

Paris’ police chief told French BFMTV that the car had been pulled over for refusing to comply with their instructions, CNN reported.

The police officers had said they had shot Nahel in self-defense as he had driven towards them, according to French media, Le Monde.

However, this account has been brought into question with the video and by Nahel’s family.

The police officer who fired the gun, who has not been identified, was placed in custody and was detained on charges of voluntary homicide on Thursday.

One of the passengers in the vehicle was taken into custody and later released, while the other is believed to have fled the scene and is still missing, the statement said.

News of Nahel’s death sparked protests and riots across Paris against police brutality, in particular against people from immigrant backgrounds.

On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron called Nahel’s death “inexplicable and inexcusable” while also calling for calm to allow justice to take its course, according to the Washington Post.

“Nothing, nothing justifies the death of a young person,” Macron told reporters in Marseille.

Also on Wednesday, lawmakers held a minute’s silence for Nahel in the National Assembly.

Prime minister Elisabeth Borne said the shooting “seems clearly not to comply with the rules.”

Other prominent figures, including French football player, Kylian Mpabbé, have condemned the event.

“I feel bad for my France. An unacceptable situation,” Mpabbé tweeted.

However, protests have continued and ballooned into riots around France, reaching nearby Belgium.

Photos and videos showed demonstrators throwing rocks and setting fire to bins and cars, while riot police responded with tear gas.

Authorities deployed nearly 40,000 officers on Thursday over the public unrest.

At least 328 people have been arrested as of June 29, according to BFMTV.

On Thursday, thousands of people took to the streets of Nanterres, where Nahel was from, to attend a vigil led by his mother, Mounia.

Nahel’s death has renewed calls for the government to change a 2017 law that makes it easier for police officers to shoot at moving vehicles.

In 2017, France passed a law that says police officers can shoot at moving vehicles if they feel it is dangerous to their lives or the lives of others.

Since then, France has seen an increase in police shootings at moving vehicles.

Nahel is the third person to die after being shot at a traffic stop in France in 2023. Last year, at least 13 people died after being shot by police at traffic stops.

The majority of the victims of traffic stop shootings since 2017 were Black or of Arab origin, according to a Reuters tally.

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