Death of Nahel: “Get to the bottom of things, and quickly”: what is the objective of the reenactment organized this Sunday in Nanterre ?

Sécurité renforcée en juillet 2023 après cinq nuits consécutives d’émeutes à travers le pays suite à la mort de Nahel, tué par la police française à Nanterre.

Justice is organizing this Sunday, May 5, 2024 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 of exceptional intensity.

"For the first time, all parties will be confronted with their testimony at the crime scene, this is a highlight", underlined Me Nabil Boudi, the advice of Nahel's mother.

According to sources close to the case and the lawyer for Nahel's mother, the two police officers present that morning, including Florian M., indicted for intentional homicide, as well as several witnesses, will be present. The police officer responsible for the fatal shooting will wear a balaclava, to avoid being recognized, specifies France info.

From 9am

The investigating judges wish to reproduce the facts at the scene of the tragedy, with all the protagonists in the case. The reconstruction will begin from 9 a.m., this Sunday, May 5, 2024, at the corner of Passage François Arago and Boulevard de la Défense, in Nanterre.

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 young man's death.

Was the use of the weapon legitimate?

Schools, courts and other public buildings attacked, shops looted… Damage estimated at one billion euros was recorded across the country, according to a Senate report.

The investigation into the death of Nahel, 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 had rushed into 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.

What about Florian M. ?

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 gathering 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 pot which raised more than 1.6 million euros in support of the police officer's family.

What objective this Sunday ?

During the reconstruction this Sunday, investigators will seek to identify the words spoken just before the shooting because they are not clear in the video of the intervention.

"The instruction is very effective. The magistrates want to get to the bottom of things, and quickly", underlines, to our colleague from France info, the lawyer of the police officer who fired the shot.