Paris teen shot dead ‘in cold blood’ sparks riots

A shocking video from the streets of Paris has led to chaos across the French city as police call for calm from youths setting buildings alight.

A single act on the streets of Paris has sparked massive chaos and brought the city to its knees.

A 17-year-old boy was driving in a rental car in the western Paris suburb of Nanterre early Tuesday when police pulled him over for breaking several road rules, prosecutors said.

A video circulating on social media shows two police officers trying to stop the vehicle, with one shockingly pointing his weapon at the driver through the window and firing at point blank range when the teen attempts to drive away.

The killing was videoed in Nanterre, to the west of the French capital, on Tuesday after the youth – who is from an Algerian background – allegedly broke traffic rules. Picture: Ohana_fgn/Twitter

It is alleged one police officer told the young man: “I’m going to lodge a bullet in your head.”

The car moved less than 50 metres before crashing. Emergency services tried to resuscitate the teenager at the scene but he died shortly after.

The officer accused of firing on the driver has been detained on homicide charges, the Nanterre prosecutors’ office said.

It is alleged one police officer told the young man: “I’m going to lodge a bullet in your head.” Picture: cl press

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told parliament the two police officers were being questioned and acknowledged that the images posted on social media were “extremely shocking”.

He urged people to “respect the grief of the family and the presumption of innocence of the police”.

France : riot somewhere in the Hauts-de-Seine departmentpic.twitter.com/bthaes42JJ

— Hellénistes en France (@hellenistes) June 28, 2023

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez admitted in an interview on French television that the action of the policeman “raises questions”, though he said it was possible the officer felt threatened.

The family’s lawyer Yassine Bouzrou told the same channel that while all parties needed to wait for the result of the investigation, the images “clearly showed a policeman killing a young man in cold blood”.

“This is a long way from any kind of legitimate defence” he said, adding the family had filed a complaint accusing the police of “lying” by initially claiming the car had tried to run down the officers.

A burning car on the sidelines of a demonstration in Nanterre, west of Paris. Picture: AFP

Community in grief

As youths began to pour onto the streets across Paris, setting fire to bins, cars and buildings, authorities appealed for calm.

Nine people were arrested in the chaos.

Nanterre mayor Patrick Jarry said he was “shocked” by the video images and passed his “sincere condolences to the boy’s mother”.

“He hopes that the investigations opened ... will make it possible to shed light as quickly as possible on the exact circumstances of this tragedy,” his office said.

“It’s so sad, he was so young,” said Samia Bough, 62, the teenager’s former neighbour, who came to lay a bouquet of yellow roses at the scene.

Youths set fire to dustbins, cars and buildings as authorities appealed for calm. Picture: AFP

Last year in France there were a record 13 deaths after refusals to stop for traffic controls. Five police officers have been charged in these cases.

Authorities and police unions blame the 2022 figures on more dangerous driving behaviour, but researchers also point to a 2017 law modifying the conditions of the use of their weapon by the police.

Two weeks ago, a 19-year-old was killed by a police officer he had injured in the legs with his car in the western town of Angouleme.