PARIS — A police officer in France is scheduled to stand trial next year on charges of voluntary homicide following the death of a 17-year-old from North African descent, a tragic event that sparked nationwide unrest.
The prosecutor’s office in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris and the location where Nahel Merzouk was both raised and killed in 2023, announced that the decision to proceed with a trial was made by the magistrates on Tuesday, concluding a two-year investigation.
Referred to in legal documents as Florian M., the officer was initially detained but was subsequently released a few months later while the investigation continued. The trial is anticipated to take place in the third quarter of 2026, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The family of Merzouk and their lawyer have yet to make any comments in response to the latest announcement.
Merzouk was shot during a traffic stop in Nanterre. Footage from the scene captured two officers standing at the window of the Mercedes he was driving, with one of them aiming his firearm at Merzouk. When the vehicle began to move forward, the officer discharged his weapon once.
Following the incident, Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache stated that his initial investigation concluded that the officer’s use of force was not legally justified.
The killing led to widespread protests across France, some of which turned violent. Stores were looted, public buildings were set on fire, and thousands of people were arrested as authorities intensified their law enforcement measures to calm the situation. Hundreds suffered injuries as a result. In a related protest held in French Guiana, a territory in South America, a 54-year-old man was killed by a stray bullet.
This reaction exposed ongoing issues such as poverty, discrimination, unemployment, and a lack of opportunities experienced by residents in various French neighborhoods, many of whom have ancestral ties to former French colonies.