Officer who shot French-Algerian teenager, 17, charged with homicide and apologises to family as riots rage on
30 June 2023, 02:32
The French policeman who shot a 17 year-old in Paris on Tuesday has been charged with homicide amid a third night of unrest in France.
Nahel M, a 17-year-old delivery driver, was shot on Tuesday in Paris by a police officer who had approached his car in a traffic stop.
The officer responsible for the shooting has since been charged with homicide and remains in custody.
It was reported Thursday evening that officer issued an apology to the family while in custody. His lawyer Laurent-Franck Liénard said he was "devastated" and that he "doesn't get up in the morning to kill people".
Nahel’s death has led to consecutive nights of unrest in the town of Nanterre where he was killed and his since spread to other cities across France, including Lille and Marseille, in a third night of riots.
On Thursday night it was reported supermarkets had been smashed into, young people with batons had destroyed a pharmacy and McDonalds, and the town hall of Clichy-sous-Bois was set alight in the eastern suburbs of Paris.
Videos shared online show piles of rubbish set alight in various parts of the country.
Firefighters urged Parisians to only make calls to the service in emergencies while they continue to tackle the growing riots and fires.
Read more: Night of anarchy in Paris after police shooting of French-Algerian teenager during traffic stop
Over 100 people have been arrested across France on the third night so far as a result of the ongoing unrest in the country.
It comes after it was announced earlier on Thursday that some 40,000 police officers had been deployed in preparation for protests.
The country's interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said 170 officers were injured during Wednesday night’s riots and 180 people were arrested.
Protests have broken out in other French cities since Nahel’s killing, including Lyon, Lille and Toulouse.
Officers shot tear gas into the crowd of protesters in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Thursday as they struggled to control the unrest.
Nahel's mother Monica sat on a truck at a 6,000 person protest, which started out as peaceful, on Thursday wearing a 'Justice for Nahel' T-shirt.
She cried out: "I am for Nahel, I am for Nahel!", as protesters responded: "Justice for Nahel! Justice for Nahel!"
But as the march continued, the atmosphere descended as some protesters started fires and throwing objects at police.
French President Emmanuel Macron labelled the shooting "inexcusable" but appealed for calm on Wednesday.
Nahel's mother said earlier on Thursday: "He was everything to me, and that son of a b***h shot him," she said.
Speaking in a video on Instagram, she said: "He gave me a big kiss and told me he loved me, I told him to be careful, we left the house at the same time and went to McDonalds, then I went to work like everyone.
"An hour later my son was shot. What do I do now?"
She went on in: "I only had one, he was my best friend, my son, we were so close, thank you all for your support, I don't know what else to say."
