French President Emmanuel Macron said this Wednesday the inexplicable and inexcusable death of a 17-year-old boy who was shot at point-blank range by police on the outskirts of Paris.
“Nothing. Nothing justifies the death of a young man,” the head of state said, evoking “the tenderness of the entire people” and expressing “respect and affection” for the family of the deceased.
“We have a teenager who was killed, it is inexplicable, inexcusable and above all, these are words of love and pain that we share with the family,” Emmanuel Macron told reporters this Wednesday.
A 17-year-old teenager was killed after he refused to obey a road control in Nanterre, west of the French capital.
The police officer, the alleged author of the shot, was detained.
The French president said the law enforcement forces are made up of “men and women who have come from all parts of the republic and are committed to protecting and serving” the country, adding that the matter is under investigation.
“The case was immediately referred to the judicial authorities: I hope that they will do their job with the speed and calmness that this work requires, and that the truth will be established as quickly as possible,” the President added.
Meanwhile, the French government is mobilizing 2,000 police and gendarmes in the Nanterre area on the outskirts of Paris after a night of unrest following the death of a 17-year-old by security forces.
Last night, 31 people were arrested in Nanterre after clashes left 40 police officers injured.
In Nanterre, after the death of a young man, forty cars were set on fire.
The authorities fear new unrest in Nanterre, as well as in other parts of the French capital.
The mayor of Nanterre, Patrick Jarry, asked this Wednesday for “clarification of the circumstances of the tragedy (the death of a 17-year-old teenager)” and asked the residents of the area to remain calm.
The municipality has already provided the police with footage of the moment the young man was shot, which was filmed by surveillance cameras.