JABAR EKSPRES – A 17-year-old teenager was shot dead by a police officer in France, sparking tensions in the French capital with residents setting fire to barricades to which police responded with tear gas, Tuesday (6/27).
The teenager, who worked as a delivery driver, was shot dead by police the day before in the suburb of Nanterre, because he was said to have failed a traffic check.
The incident shocked the Parisian public and raised concerns about the use of lethal force by security forces.
A video circulating online shows two police officers leaning into the driver’s side window of a car before the vehicle drives away.
One of the officers shoots at the driver. The car then crashed into a nearby post.
READ ALSO : Wagner and The Fracturing of Vladimir Putin’s Inner Circle of Power
During a parliamentary hearing, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed that the two police officers involved in the incident were being questioned.
He acknowledged the very disturbing images circulating on social media and urged people to show respect to the grieving families, and to apply the presumption of innocence to police officers.
Sabrina Sebaihi, a member of the Green Party (EELV), offered her condolences to the teenager’s family.
She emphasized that police should only use their weapons in situations where their lives are in danger.
Meanwhile, French member of the European Parliament Manon Aubry shared footage of the officer shooting at the young driver via her Twitter account.
READ ALSO : France Concludes Wagner Uprising Shows Russia is Fragile
Aubry called the footage horrifying and said that the young man should not be put to death just for disobeying an order to stop.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, a former presidential candidate, said via Twitter that the death penalty does not exist in France and no police officer has the right to kill except in cases of legitimate defense.
