The policeman who killed a young man in the suburbs of Paris, France, during a traffic operation on Tuesday, has apologized to the family, his lawyer told reporters on Thursday.
“The first words I said were to apologize and the last words to apologize to the family,” lawyer Laurent-Franck Liénard told French television channel BFMTV.
“My client was extremely shocked by the violence of this video (…) that he saw for the first time while he was detained,” said the lawyer, referring to the images that show his client firing the shot that killed the young man. Nahel, 17, who refused to obey the police arrest warrant.
“He is devastated, he doesn’t get up in the morning to kill people. He did not want to kill, ”added the lawyer.
The police officer was charged with intentional homicide and was arrested on Thursday.
The lawyer announced that he will appeal this detention on Friday morning.
Video of the youth’s death recorded by a witness shows the 38-year-old officer pointing the gun at the youth by the driver’s window as another officer spoke to him from the same side, both detained.
The Justice opened two investigations, one for intentional homicide, another for the escape of the victim, a decision that provoked the indignation of the young man’s family.
This death generated a political reaction, especially from some leftist leaders, who denounced the large number of deaths at the hands of police elements, who resort to legitimate defense, especially when the driver escapes from a checkpoint.
France star Kylian Mbappé also reacted, writing in a message on his Twitter account: “France hurts me. An unacceptable situation. I am with the family and relatives of Naël, this little angel who left too soon.”
Source: TSF
