Nahel, 17, was shot dead Tuesday during a police traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Here is what we know about the incident, according to investigators Thursday.
- The course of events -
Two traffic officers had just begun their shift on Tuesday when they noticed around 7:55 am (0555 GMT) a yellow Mercedes registered in Poland driving along the road in Nanterre, prosecutor Pascal Prache said Thursday.
The vehicle's speed in a bus lane and the "apparent young age of the driver's passengers" caught the attention of the officers on motorbikes, who attempted to intervene.
They turned on their sirens, approached the vehicle at a red light and told the driver to pull over.
The vehicle instead hit the gas toward a train station, with police tailing, before getting stuck in traffic.
The two officers closed in on foot and "shouted at the driver to stop", positioning themselves "on the left side" of the car, "one at the driver's door", according to the prosecutor.
"They both took out their weapons and pointed them at the driver to dissuade him from restarting by telling him to cut the ignition," the prosecutor said.
When the vehicle began to drive off again, one of the officers fired at point-blank range.
The vehicle crashed a few dozen meters away at 8:19.
First aid provided by the officer responsible for the shooting, as well as by firefighters who arrived soon after, failed to save Nahel.
His death was recorded at 09:15, and according to the autopsy, was the result of a bullet that went through his left arm and chest from left to right.
- The people involved -
The officer who admitted to the shooting is 38. Toxicology and blood alcohol tests were negative.
The driver, Nahel, 17, was raised alone by his mother, she has said.
He was a regular at a youth recreation centre in the Vieux-Pont district, according to an area resident interviewed by AFP.
Born in 2006, he was known for failing to comply to police, which led him most recently to the prosecutor's office last Sunday, facing a summons in September before a juvenile court.
In the Mercedes, no dangerous objects or narcotics were found.
The two passengers -- one in the front who fled, and another in the back -- have spoken to investigators and were released on Tuesday afternoon.
- The investigation -
Two cases were opened by Nanterre prosecutors Tuesday.
One is being carried out by regional police into the driver's failure to halt and alleged attempt to kill a person holding a position of public authority, and the other by the national police inspectorate (IGPN) into possible intentional killing by a person holding a position of public authority.
Investigators have scoured video surveillance and user-generated content on social networks, and repeatedly questioned the police.
At this point, according to the prosecutor, "videos confirm police statements about the vehicle's route and the refusal to comply".
The officer who fired the shot, detained Tuesday, was charged with homicide Thursday and is to remain in custody.
Prosecutor Prache said the use of a firearm did not meet the legal conditions under which such force can be used.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin also called on the head of police for the officer's suspension.
The police version according to which the teenager drove toward the officer was debunked by a video of the incident circulating on social media.
In it, someone can clearly be heard saying "you're going to get shot in the head".
Nahel's family lawyer said they would file a legal complaint against the policeman for voluntary manslaughter, including one against his colleague for complicity in the shooting.
They would also file a complaint for false testimony against the policemen for claiming that Nahel had tried to run them over.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
