Violent protests have erupted across France after the police shooting of a 17-year-old.
The boy, identified only as Nahel, was fatally shot during a traffic stop Tuesday, June 27, in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
Footage of the incident filmed by a bystander showed two officers standing on the driver’s side of the car, one of whom fired his gun at the driver despite not appearing to be in any immediate danger.
The officer said he fired his gun out of fear that the boy would run someone over with the car, according to Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache.
Despite calls from top officials for patience to allow time for the justice system to run its course, a sizable number of people across France remain shocked and angry, especially young men and women of colour who have been victims of discrimination by police.
French riot police officers walk next to an upside down car during the fifth day of protests, in Paris on Sunday, July 2. Juan Medina/Reutersrioters rammed a vehicle into the building overnight Sunday. Jeanbrun said his wife and one of his children were injured. Nassim Gomri/AFP/Getty ImagesPolice stop a group of young people in the Champs-Élysées area in Paris on July 2. Juan Medina/ReutersDemonstrators run as French police officers shoot tear gas in Paris on July 2. Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty ImagesA French firefighter works to extinguish a burning car in Tourcoing, France, on July 2. Pascal Rossignol/ReutersPolice officers patrol a demonstration in Marseille, France, on Saturday, July 1. Clement Mahoudeau/AFP/Getty ImagesA passerby looks at the scorched remains of a car set on fire during protests on July 1, in Colombes, France. Sam Tarling/Getty ImagesAn employee boards up shop windows on July 1, following a night of protests in Strasbourg, France. Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty ImagesFirefighters use a water hose on a burnt bus in Nanterre, France, on July 1. Lewis Joly/APProtesters clash with police in Nanterre, France, on Friday, June 30. Gonzalo Fuentes/ReutersOfficers stand guard during riots in Lille, France, on June 30. Nacho Doce/ReutersPeople walk past a vandalized shop in Lille, France, on June 30. Pascal Rossignol/ReutersBurnt buses can be seen through the gates at the Fort d’Aubervilliers bus terminal in Aubervilliers, France, on June 30. Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty ImagesProtesters clash with police in Nanterre on June 30. Gonzalo Fuentes/ReutersFireworks explode as policemen stand by during protests in Roubaix on June 30. Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty ImagesPeople look at burning tires blocking a street in Bordeaux, France, on Thursday, June 29. Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty ImagesDemonstrators clash with police in Paris on June 29. Firas Abdullah/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesCars burn in Nanterre on June 29. Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty ImagesPolice face protesters at the end of a march in Paris on June 29. Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP/Getty ImagesPeople demonstrate in Nanterre on June 29. Benjamin Girette/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesFirefighters try to extinguish burning cars in Paris on June 29. Firas Abdullah/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesMounia, Nahel’s mother, gestures as she stands on a truck during a march in Nanterre on June 29. Antoine Gyori/Corbis/Getty ImagesFirefighters extinguish burning vehicles during clashes in Nanterre on Wednesday, June 28. Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters
rioters rammed a vehicle into the building overnight Sunday. Jeanbrun said his wife and one of his children were injured. Nassim Gomri/AFP/Getty Images
