NANTERRE: After police killed a teenager during a traffic stop and appeared to lie about the circumstances of the killing, violent protests shook the suburbs of Paris overnight. On Wednesday, celebrities expressed their outrage at the incident.
The 17-year-elderly person, named exclusively as Nael M, was pulled over by two cops on Tuesday for defying traffic guidelines, examiners said.
A video that went viral on social media and was verified by AFP contradicted the police's initial claim that one officer fired at the teen because he was driving at him.
The video shows the two police officers standing by the car's side and one of them pointing a weapon at the driver. "You are going to get a bullet in the head," a voice can be heard saying.
The cop seems to shoot point empty shell as the vehicle unexpectedly drives off.
Before collapsing, the vehicle moved a few dozen meters. The driver passed on soon after.
In the suburb of Nanterre in the west of Paris, his death sparked immediately protests.
During the time that police were attempting to disperse the protesters with teargas, bins were also set on fire and a fire broke out at a music school.
After that, some of the suburbs nearby saw protests begin.
Inside Pastor Gerald Darmanin said Wednesday that 31 individuals had been captured for the time being, 24 police somewhat harmed and around 40 vehicles burnt.
The 38-year-old police officer who was observed firing the fatal shot was taken into custody and is currently the subject of an investigation into voluntary manslaughter.
Yassine Bouzrou, Nael M's attorney, said he would sue the policeman for voluntary manslaughter and his colleague for complicity in the shooting.
Additionally, the attorney stated that he would file a second complaint against the police for providing false testimony regarding Nael M.'s claims that he had attempted to run them over.
The vehicle had two passengers. The other, also a teenager, was briefly detained while the first fled.
The shooting provoked disgust, concern, and outrage from politicians and some celebrities.
Kylian Mbappe, the captain of the French men's national football team and a star player for the Paris Saint-Germain club, tweeted, "I am hurting for my France."
"A situation that cannot go on. The sum total of my views go to the loved ones of Nael, that darling who left us excessively soon," Mbappe said.
On Twitter, the well-known actor Omar Sy, best known for his roles in "The Intouchables" and "Lupin," stated: I trust that equity deserving of the name will respect the memory of this youngster."
Jean-Luc Melenchon, a politician from the far left, said that "France no longer has the death penalty" and that "a complete redesign of the police force" should be implemented.
In parliament, Darmanin, who has previously supported the police in similar circumstances, described the video footage as "extremely shocking."
On Wednesday he said that the official would be suspended "assuming the charges against him are kept up with".
The minister said that, later on Wednesday, 2,000 police would be sent to deal with any more violence.