The affair had come to rekindle the tensions between young people and the police which have undermined the daily life of Sevran for several years. The prosecution requested, Friday 1is April, the indictment of the police officer responsible for the fatal shooting of a motorist, on March 26, for “willful violence resulting in death without the intention of giving it”announced Éric Mathais, the public prosecutor of Bobigny.
The placement under judicial control of the police officer was also requested, added Mr. Mathais. The 32-year-old brigadier will be presented to an examining magistrate in the evening.
The tragedy took place on Saturday, at midday, when a crew from the Aulnay-sous-Bois anti-crime brigade wanted to check a van which had been reported as stolen, driven by a resident of the Beaudottes district, in Sevran (Seine-Saint-Denis).
During his first hearing, the policeman reported “standing at the level of the driver’s window, raising his weapon while shouting “police!” »told the prosecutor during a press conference, specifying that the official assures “having tried several times to open the door, which was locked”. “He saw the driver engage a gear and accelerate strongly”, continued Eric Mathais. The police officer claims to have been “unbalanced”, “feeling in a state of self-defense” and “to have fired for this reason”.
White march scheduled for Saturday
Seriously injured in the left shoulder blade, the driver died a few hours after his admission to hospital. The autopsy confirmed that the shooting was the cause of death. The death of this resident of Beaudottes caused five consecutive nights of violence in several municipalities of Seine-Saint-Denis, bordering the district.
In Sevran, Aulnay-sous-Bois and Tremblay-en-France, popular towns located northeast of Paris, vehicles and garbage cans were set on fire and projectiles thrown at the police, without causing any injuries. Since the start of the scuffles, forty-one arrests for acts of violence and degradation have taken place, including several concerning minors. Fifteen people have been referred for immediate appearance.
A white march from Aulnay-sous-Bois is scheduled for Saturday morning in memory of the victim.