The teenager was driving in a rental car in the western Paris suburb early on Tuesday when police pulled him over for breaking several road rules, prosecutors said.
A video circulating on social media, authenticated by the French news agency AFP, shows two police officers trying to stop the vehicle, with one pointing his weapon at the driver through the window and firing at close range when the youth apparently continues to drive. The car moved a few dozen meters before crashing.
Emergency services tried to resuscitate the teenager at the scene but he died shortly afterward.
Local residents held a protest outside police headquarters. Tensions soared later on Tuesday between police and demonstrators who lit fires, set a car alight, destroyed bus stops and threw firecrackers towards police who responded with tear gas and dispersion grenades, according to videos broadcast on local media.
Nine people were arrested in the confrontations, authorities said.
Local media outlets featured video footage shared on social media of youths clashing with police late into the evening, including a clip that appeared to show protests also in the heart of Paris – located about 11km (almost 7 miles) from the restive suburb.
The officer accused of firing on the driver has been arrested on homicide charges, the Nanterre prosecutor's office said, Aljazeera reported.
After a record 13 deaths from police shootings in France during traffic stops last year, this is the second fatal shooting in such circumstances in 2023. Three people were killed by police shooting after refusing to comply with a traffic stop in 2021 and two in 2020.
MP/PR
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