French police officer who shot 17-year-old under investigation for ‘voluntary homicide’
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Transcript
00:00 In his testimony to the National Police Inspectorate, the officer stands by his version of the story.
00:06 Shooting point blank in the teenager's chest was an act of self-defense as he felt his
00:10 life was in danger.
00:12 The policeman, who's been detained on homicide charges, is a 38-year-old father, well regarded
00:17 by his superiors.
00:19 An experienced officer who was highly distinguished.
00:22 "He's never been disciplined.
00:25 He has two medals for bravery and one from the Interior Minister.
00:31 It's very rare to have so many distinctions awarded in a 10-year police career."
00:37 Key to the investigation are the few barely audible words heard in the video just before
00:41 the fire.
00:47 It remains unclear who exactly said the words and whether it was a threat to shoot.
00:51 The lawyer for the victim's family though says the video is sufficient evidence that
00:55 the officer is at fault.
00:57 "The defense was not legitimate.
01:00 My clients wish for the law to be applied and the officer indicted and prosecuted.
01:05 I think only a strict application of the law can calm the situation."
01:12 The 17-year-old victim, Nael, was already arraigned once for refusing to comply and
01:16 again last weekend on the same charges.
01:19 The Interior Minister says the policeman will be suspended regardless of the verdict.
01:26 "In addition to the legal action, which is obviously in the hands of the justice system,
01:31 there will be sanctions against the officer.
01:33 As from the looks of the video, his behavior was not in accordance with the instructions
01:38 and the law."
01:42 The second policeman who was on the site has also been questioned by the inspectorate.
01:46 As for the other two passengers in the victim's car at the time, one was arrested immediately
01:51 as seen in the video and later released under witness testimony, while the other fled the
01:55 scene.
01:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]