France: As reported by prosecutors, three French police officers were detained on Tuesday in connection with the early-July death of a 27-year-old man in Marseille in the south during widespread rioting.
Violent rioting caused by the June 27 killing of a teenager outside of Paris by a police officer while conducting a traffic check rocked France in late June and early July.
The police responded to the riots with force. Numerous police officers were injured, and hundreds of people were arrested. However, there had been no prior confirmation of a security personnel or protester passing away during the incidents.
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In total, five police officers from the prestigious Raid unit were detained on Tuesday morning in Marseille for questioning in the investigation into Mohamed Bendriss' death, according to prosecutors.
Early that evening, two of the five were released, according to the public prosecutor's office. Dominique Laurens, the Marseille public prosecutor, confirmed that "the other three police officers remain in custody." The prosecutors also said that a number of ordinary citizens and police are testifying as witnesses.
The incident happened on the night of July 1-2 during tumultuous demonstrations in Marseille's city centre that were started by the death of Nahel M., 17, who was shot and killed by a police officer on June 27 while conducting a traffic check.
Bendriss, a married father of one whose widow is currently expecting a second child, passed away while riding a scooter after feeling ill.
His autopsy revealed evidence of what might have been the impact of a shot from a blast ball, which is a weapon frequently used by the nation's police, on his chest. According to the prosecutor's office, it is "probable" that the man's death was "caused by a violent impact to the thorax caused by the firing of a projectile of the blast ball type."
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The investigation is the most recent controversy to focus on the police in Marseille. A 22-year-old man named Hedi had to have a portion of his skull amputated earlier this summer after being assaulted and shot at with a blast ball on July 21 by a group of men who were allegedly police officers.
In connection with the incident, four Marseille police officers have been charged. Three people have been freed under court supervision. The fourth has been kept in custody while the investigation is ongoing. His detention sparked fierce debate among French police officers.
Although many police officers across the nation took sick leave in protest, a court last week rejected the appeal against his detention. In court, the officer reversed his earlier denial and admitted to firing a blast ball round, but he claimed he did not witness any injuries. Additionally, according to his attorney, there is no proof that Hedi was hurt by his round.
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Alliance, a strong police union, called the decision "incomprehensible and very unfair." According to a police source who spoke to AFP, the IGPN police investigation unit opened a total of 31 investigations during the riots.