French cop faces trial over killing of teen that sparked nationwide riots

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PARIS — A French police officer will face trial next year on charges of voluntary homicide over the killing of a 17-year-old of North African descent, a death that triggered nationwide riots.

The prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where victim Nahel Merzouk grew up and was killed in 2023, announced in a statement that magistrates decided Tuesday to send the police officer to trial after a two-year investigation.

The officer, identified in legal documents only as Florian M., was initially detained but released a few months later pending further investigation. He is expected to face trial in the third quarter of 2026, the prosecutor’s office said.

Merzouk’s family and lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the announcement.

The teenager was shot during a traffic stop in Nanterre. Video showed two officers at the window of the Mercedes the youth was driving, one with his gun pointed at Merzouk. As the car pulled forward, the officer fired once.

After the killing, Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude that the officer’s use of his weapon wasn’t legally justified.

Protests over his killing spread around France and some turned violent, with s tores looted and public buildings torched. Thousands of people were arrested as the government ratcheted up its law enforcement response to quell the unrest, and hundreds of people were injured. In related protests in the overseas territory of French Guiana in South America, a 54-year-old died after being hit by a stray bullet.

The reaction to the killing was a potent reminder of the persistent poverty, discrimination, unemployment and other lack of opportunity in neighborhoods around France where many residents trace their roots to former French colonies.