An officer involved in the tragic shooting of a 17-year-old boy in France has been formally investigated for voluntary homicide, a development that comes as President Emmanuel Macron grapples with escalating public anger over the incident. Approximately 6,000 people took part in a march through Nanterre, honouring the teenager and demanding justice. Carrying signs emblazoned with "Justice for Nahel" and led by his mother Mounia, the demonstrators chanted slogans such as "No justice, no peace" and "Police kill." Tensions escalated during the march, with police resorting to teargas against some protesters.

Following a second night of unrest and riots across France, Macron held a crisis meeting with senior ministers to address the situation. Public buildings were set ablaze, and cars were torched in various cities, including Lille, Toulouse, and the Paris suburbs. Macron condemned the violence, stating that the attacks on police stations, schools, and town halls were entirely unjustifiable.

In response to the unrest, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that 40,000 police officers would be deployed nationwide, with a significant presence in the greater Paris region. The head of the greater Paris region also confirmed that bus and tram services would halt at 9 pm. The authorities made 180 arrests in connection with the riots that occurred on Wednesday. Both Darmanin and Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne ruled out declaring a state of emergency at this time.

Meanwhile, the officer involved in the shooting was formally investigated for voluntary homicide, equivalent to being charged in Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions. The investigating magistrates determined that the officer did not meet the legal requirements for using lethal force. The officer has been placed in custody pending further proceedings. The 17-year-old victim was shot in a western Paris suburb while attempting to evade police who had tried to stop him. Initial police reports claimed that the officer fired at the teenager because he was driving his car towards him, but a video circulated on social media contradicted this account.

Overnight, protesters engaged in acts of vandalism, launching fireworks at police, setting cars on fire, and targeting public buildings in various suburbs of Paris, as well as other cities like Toulouse. Similar disturbances were reported in Amiens, Dijon, St-Etienne, and near Lyon. Politicians expressed concerns about the potential difficulty of containing sustained riots and unrest across France, recalling the widespread violence triggered by the deaths of two young boys in 2005. The current use of lethal force against Nahel, who was of North African origin, has reinforced perceptions of police brutality in ethnically diverse areas.

While Macron called for calm and denounced the inexplicable and inexcusable death of the young man, rights groups claim that systemic racism exists within French law enforcement, a charge previously denied by the president. The family's lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, emphasised that the video evidence clearly shows a police officer taking the life of a 17-year-old in a manner that violates regulations. In a TikTok video, the victim's mother called for a memorial march in Nanterre, urging people to join in and stating her intention to lead a revolt in memory of her son.

This incident marks the third fatal shooting during traffic stops in France this year, with a record 13 such shootings reported last year. The majority of victims since 2017 were Black or of Arab origin. In response to criticism, two prominent police unions stressed the importance of presuming the detained officer's innocence until proven otherwise.