Killed by police in France causing riots .. Nahel Merzouk (2006 – 27 June 2023) was a 17-year-old French-Algerian youth.
He was enrolled at the Lycée Louis-Blériot in Suresnes, where he attended classes for six months, and then stopped going to school. Merzouk worked as a pizza delivery boy in Nanterre.
According to a paramedic who knew Merzouk, his father left his mother before Merzouk was born. Merzouk did not have a criminal record but he was “known to the police, particularly for resisting arrest”, and had been charged with resisting the previous weekend and five times since 2021. His judicial file included 15 recorded incidents, including use of false license plates, driving without insurance, and for the sale and consumption of drugs.
On 1 July 2023, Merzouk was buried at the Mont-Valérien cemetery park in the Muslim section in Nanterre. Shooting Prosecution version According to the public prosecutor of Nanterre, two motorcycle police officers from the DOPC noticed a Mercedes-Benz A Class with a Polish license plate driving at high speed in a bus lane, driven by a young-looking person at around 7:55 am.
The motorcyclists activated their warning signals (audible and visual) and indicated to the driver, at a red traffic light, to stop. The vehicle restarted and ran the red light. The police officers followed the car and alerted their superiors via radio. The car committed multiple traffic violations, endangering a pedestrian and a cyclist. Due to traffic congestion, the vehicle was eventually forced to stop. The police officers got off their motorcycles, pointed their guns at the driver, and ordered him to turn off the engine. Instead, the vehicle started to pull away, and one of the police officers fired a shot at the driver. The vehicle continued its route before crashing into street furniture at 8:19 am.
The rear passenger was arrested when he exited the vehicle. The front right passenger fled. The police officer who fired the shot provided first aid to the driver. The driver was pronounced dead at 9:15 am.
Police version challenged by a video According to the police, an officer fired his weapon as the young driver was about to run him over. This version, citing self-defense, was challenged after the publication of a video showing that the car was not in a position to harm the police officers and was not heading towards them. According to Le Monde, “the 50-second sequence, which has gone viral on social media, has literally swept away the language elements initially disseminated by police sources and repeated by some media.” The video shows that the two police officers were on the driver’s side of the Mercedes. The car was moving off when the police officer fired the shot, still at close range.
Version from the third passenger
On 30 June 2023, a third passenger aboard the Mercedes testified that Merzouk received several buttstrokes. According to them, the third buttstroke made Merzouk release the brake pedal, causing the car to move forward, given that the gearbox was automatic. According to BFM TV, this version differs from that put forward by the police, as according to Laurent Nuñez: “the driver had first turned off the engine, restarted the vehicle, then left. It was in this context that the police officer used his firearm.” Investigation The officer is currently under investigation for manslaughter and has been placed in custody for the charge of “voluntary homicide by a person in authority”.
The police have maintained that the shooting was an act of self-defense, as they argue that Merzouk was driving towards the officer. However, since the video was released, this claim has faced significant criticism. Yassine Bouzrou, a lawyer representing Merzouk, has stated that the video completely disproves this assertion and alleges that the brigadier had an “intention to kill”. Other lawyers representing Merzouk have made similar remarks.
Investigation
The officer is currently under investigation for manslaughter and has been placed in custody for the charge of “voluntary homicide by a person in authority”. The police have maintained that the shooting was an act of self-defense, as they argue that Merzouk was driving towards the officer.[ However, since the video was released, this claim has faced significant criticism. Yassine Bouzrou, a lawyer representing Merzouk, has stated that the video completely disproves this assertion and alleges that the brigadier had an “intention to kill”. Other lawyers representing Merzouk have made similar remarks.
Two investigations have been initiated: the first for “refusal to comply” and “attempted voluntary homicide against a person in authority”, and the second for “voluntary homicide by a person in authority”. The latter investigation has been assigned to the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN).
