Officer charged in Nantes shooting
July 7, 2018
French authorities have charged a policeman with manslaughter after the shooting death of a young black man in the western city of Nantes on Tuesday evening, which sparked days of rioting .
The announcement by the policeman's lawyer came after the officer altered his story of what happened prior to the incident.
In his initial description, the officer claimed he had acted in self-defense after the 22-year-old shooting victim, identified only as Aboubakar, had tried to resist arrest during questioning.
But the officer later told a police oversight body that he had fired his weapon by accident.
"He recognizes he made a statement that did not conform with the truth," his lawyer Laurent-Franck Lienard told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
Cars, buildings ablaze
Police questioned Aboubakar on Tuesday in the Breil neighborhood of Nantes after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
The neighborhood is known for its history of gang violence. Young people there have previously complained about police brutality during attempts by local officers to fight violent drug gangs.
Rioters have set fire to cars and buildings throughout Nantes in the three nights since the shooting. Police have arrested four people in connection with the unrest. AFP has reported that fresh clashes erupted between youths and police early Saturday.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe visited Nantes on Thursday to try to diffuse communal tensions by vowing "full transparency" in the investigation into Aboubakar's death.
amp/cmk (AFP, dpa)