Justice is organizing, on the morning of Sunday May 5 in Nanterre, a reconstruction of the facts leading to the death of Nahel, this 17-year-old killed on June 27, 2023 by police shooting, a tragedy which led to riots. ‘exceptional intensity.
The police completely locked down Nelson Mandela Square, where vehicles used for the reconstruction of the events were sent, including a yellow car resembling the one Nahel was driving on the day of his death.
In the presence of their lawyers, the police officer responsible for the shooting, his colleague present that day and several witnesses will be confronted with their statements, in particular to establish whether Brigadier Florian M., indicted for intentional homicide, was in danger of death. . “For the first time, all parties will be confronted with their testimony at the crime scene, it is a strong moment,” underlined Me Nabil Boudi, counsel for Nahel’s mother.
Not far from this rather busy intersection in Nanterre, a town located west of Paris, certain buildings still bear the marks of the nights of riots which followed the death of the young man. Schools, courts and other public buildings attacked, stores looted… Damage estimated at one billion euros was recorded across the country, according to a Senate report.
Symbol of the debate on police violence
The investigation into Nahel’s death, which has become a symbol of the debate on police violence, must in particular establish whether the use of the firearm was legitimate. According to elements of the investigation, after a chase, the vehicle driven by Nahel was stopped by traffic. A first police version, according to which the teenager rushed towards the biker, was quickly refuted by a video of the scene posted on social networks.
We see the two police officers on the side of the vehicle, pointing their guns at the driver. One of them shoots him as the vehicle restarts. The car then crashed into a concrete block, a few dozen meters away. The police officers present maintained that they were in danger of death because they were stuck between the car and a wall.
Florian M., aged 38 at the time of the events, was placed in pre-trial detention for five months. He was released and placed under judicial supervision in November after several requests from his counsel.
After the police officer was released, Mounia, Nahel’s mother who was raising him alone, called for a rally to which several hundred people attended peacefully. “A police officer kills a child, Arab or black, becomes a millionaire and leaves prison, reunites with his family peacefully for the holidays,” she lamented in a video, in reference to the jackpot which raised more than 1.6 million euros in support of the police officer’s family.
