“A French police officer is under investigation following the alleged shooting death of a 19-year-old man during a traffic stop for speeding,” announced prosecutors.
The incident occurred near Cherbourg-en-Cotentin in Normandy, western France, late on Sunday, involving three individuals in the car, according to state prosecutor Pierre-Yves Marot.
Upon the police’s attempt to stop the vehicle, the driver reportedly ignored the signal and continued driving, eventually being stopped by another police car.
Subsequently, all three occupants attempted to flee on foot.
One managed to escape, another was detained, and the third was allegedly shot in the chest by an officer, as detailed by the prosecutor’s office.
Quoting the prosecutor, the AFP news agency reported, “The third person, a 19-year-old from Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, was confronted by officers from the second patrol and knocked into one of them while trying to flee.”
The statement further alleged that “The officer then used a stun gun” while a colleague “used her service weapon, fatally striking him in the chest.”
The officer involved in the shooting is currently in custody for questioning by the internal affairs department of the police regulator IGPN.
This incident echoes events from nearly a year ago when widespread rioting erupted in France following the shooting of a 17-year-old during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. In that case, a policeman was charged with homicide.
Source-BBC
