Protesters and police clashed overnight in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, after a 17-year-old delivery boy was shot dead by police.
Outrage erupted in Paris after police shot dead a teenager. Photo: AFP
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 25 police officers were injured and 40 cars were set on fire in overnight unrest, mainly in Nanterra.
He said 1,200 police had been deployed overnight and 2,000 would be out on Wednesday in the Paris region and around other major cities to “maintain order”.
Angry at the shooting, protesters set fire to barricades and police fired tear gas. The Nanterre prosecutor's office said the police officer accused of firing at the driver has been detained on murder charges.
Minister Darmanin said the police watchdog (IPGN) had opened an internal investigation into the incident. The violence began on Tuesday evening with a protest outside the Nanterra police station, then spread to neighbouring towns.
In Mantes-la-Jolie, a town hall was set on fire. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets but were quickly forced to retreat.
The protests were sparked by a video posted on social media of the shooting on Tuesday.
In the video, which has been confirmed by several French news agencies, two police officers can be seen trying to stop a vehicle, with one pointing a weapon at the driver and shooting as he drives away. The vehicle traveled several dozen meters before crashing.
Lawyers representing the young driver's family rejected police claims that the officers' lives were in danger because the driver had threatened to run them over.
One passenger in the car was briefly detained and later released. Police are searching for another passenger who fled.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the shooting was “inexplicable” and “unforgivable”. Jean-Luc Melenchon, a left-wing politician , said the police were discrediting the country and needed to be reformed from the ground up.
Hoang Anh (according to DPA, AFP, DW)
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