France Shooting: Policeman Charged Over Teen's Death

Facts

• The French policeman responsible for the killing of a teenager during a traffic stop near Paris on Tuesday has been charged with homicide and is now in custody.¹
• The 17-year-old victim, identified as Naël M., was shot at point-blank range by a police officer in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday morning after he was pulled over for traffic violations.²
• Police initially reported that the victim was shot after driving his car at police, but the claim was later contradicted by a bystander video that shows two policemen standing by the stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at the driver.²
• The shooting has prompted four nights of violent unrest in Paris and cities across France, with the government mobilizing 45K police officers across the nation to contain the protests. Since Tuesday, 2.4K people have reportedly been arrested.³
• Naël 's funeral was held Saturday as protests continued, with many objecting to the ban of "large-scale events" implemented on Friday. As many as 700 businesses have reportedly been damaged during the demonstrations, with Pres. Emmanuel Macron postponing a visit to Germany.⁴
• The officer accused of killing Naël, whose name has not been released due to French law, has said that he fired his weapon because he felt his life was in danger, with his lawyer saying he fired his weapon "in full compliance of the law." Meanwhile, an investigation to "determine whether this is a case of a legal or illegal use of a weapon" is currently underway.¹

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²France 24, ³CTVNews, and ⁴CNN.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by NBC. The young man killed by police was of Algerian descent, and his race was likely a factor in his murder. This is evidence of institutionalized discrimination by law enforcement, which regularly targets people of color. This tragedy should serve as a moment of reckoning for France to deal with its widespread issues of racism.
• Right narrative, as provided by BBC News. While any death at the hands of police is very troubling, it's also important to address all the factors, as the current investigation seeks to do. French law dictates that police officers may use their weapons in certain circumstances, and this incident may fall under that jurisdiction. Whatever the outcome of the probe, the police, as a whole, shouldn't be blamed or dismantled, and protests should remain peaceful.