Paris: After a 17-year-old was shot dead by police during a traffic stop and prosecutors launched a homicide investigation, protesters brandishing fireworks engaged in violent clashes with riot police in a suburb of Paris overnight.

According to interior minister Gerald Darmanin, 31 people were detained in connection with the clashes that resulted in 40 cars being burned, mostly in Nanterre, the Paris suburb where the victim was from.

A building that was on fire and burned-out barricades on the road were both visible in video footage. Police, who fired tear gas at the crowd, were the target of fireworks.
On BFMTV on Wednesday morning, Darmanin urged restraint and stated that "justice must be done and the truth must be told." In the area, 2,000 police have been mobilised, according to him.

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If the allegations against the police officer are proven true, he continued, the officer would be suspended from duty.

On Tuesday, prosecutors claimed that the shooting occurred as a result of the young man disobeying a request to stop his car. The boy was shot by the officer and later passed away from his injuries, it claimed.

Two police officers are seen standing next to a Mercedes AMG in a video posted on social media that was confirmed by Reuters. One of the officers can be seen shooting as the driver pulls away.

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Mornia Labssi, a local resident and anti-racism activist, claimed to have spoken to the victim's family and revealed that the man's name was Nael and that he was of Algerian descent. The victim was not named by the prosecution.

According to Laurent Nunez, the chief of the Paris police, "this act raises questions for me" and the justice system will determine whether it was appropriate or not, according to BFMTV.

Aged between 38 and 40, the two officers who conducted the traffic stop had prior experience, according to Darmanin.
On Twitter, the French actor Omar Sy showed his support for the victim's family and demanded that "justice be done to honour the memory of this child."

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Football player Kylian Mpabbe of Paris Saint-Germain tweeted "I'm hurting for my France" along with heartbreak emojis. a situation that must change.
In France so far in 2023, there have been two fatal shootings that occurred during traffic stops.

A Reuters count shows that in 2022, a record 13 people were killed in such incidents, compared to three in 2021 and two in 2020. The majority of the victims were Black or of Arab origin.