Macron calls the police shooting of the teenager “inexplicable and inexcusable” in France, where security has been stepped up amid unrest over the incident

After sporadic unrest broke out in response to the murder of a 17-year-old delivery driver who was shot and killed during a police check, the French government on Wednesday announced increased police presence around Paris and other major cities and issued an appeal for calm.

The murder sparked significant outrage and sympathy letters from people around the country, including soccer player Kylian Mbappe.

The young man’s death, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, was “inexplicable and inexcusable.”

Additionally, it led to disturbances in a number of Paris-area communities. Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, said that during the nighttime violence, 40 automobiles were burnt, 25 police officers were hurt, and 31 individuals were detained.

Lawyers claim that Nael M., a 17-year-old, was slain on Tuesday during a traffic check in the Paris district of Nanterre, which is the centre of the unrest.

According to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office, the police officer who is thought to have shot at him was seized and is now being investigated for possible manslaughter charges.

On Wednesday morning, the suburb where Nael resided in Nanterre was still on edge, with police stationed outside the regional government and burned-out vehicle wrecks and overturned trash cans still evident in several spots.

On Nelson Mandela Square in Nanterre, bouquets of orange and yellow flowers were fastened to the pillar where the automobile crashed after the shooting.

Nael’s mother made an online plea for a quiet march to remember her son on Thursday, close to the site of his murder.

Videos allegedly depicting the event were “extremely shocking,” according to Darmanin, who promised a thorough investigation. Images show two police officers leaning into a yellow automobile’s driver-side window as the car starts to move away as one of the policemen shoots at the window. Later, the vehicle is seen smashed into a nearby post.

Macron urged restraint and consideration for Nael’s family. When questioned about police misconduct, he said that justice should be allowed to take its course.

According to him, “nothing justifies the death of a young person,” he told reporters in Marseille.

Darmanin said that 1,200 police officers were deployed overnight and that 2,000 more will be out in full force on Wednesday in the Paris area and other surrounding large cities to “maintain order.”

French gun violence is less frequent than American gun violence. In Nanterre and other cities, notably in and near housing developments where many locals battle poverty and prejudice and believe police brutality is not adequately punished, Tuesday’s killing sparked rage.

Yassine Bouzrou, a lawyer representing Nael’s family, told The Associated Press that they want the police officer to be charged with murder rather than manslaughter and that they want the inquiry transferred to another location because they believe Nanterre investigators won’t be objective.

The attorneys denied a police report that said the motorist had threatened to run them over, putting their lives in jeopardy.

Mbappe, who was stunned by what occurred, is a native of the Bondy neighbourhood of Paris.

“For my France, I suffer. Situation is unacceptable. He wrote, “All my prayers are with Nael’s family and loved ones. This young angel left us much too soon.

According to Darmanin, the administration will debate future moves during a security meeting on Wednesday in the late afternoon.

The deceased was shot and died at the scene, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office. Police are looking for another passenger who escaped while one passenger was temporarily questioned and freed from the vehicle.

Demands for more accountability have arisen as a result of many incidents involving deaths or injuries caused by French police in recent years.

In response to the Minnesota police death of George Floyd, there were demonstrations against racial profiling and other forms of injustice in France as well.