By Juliette Jabkhiro
PARIS, March 5 (Reuters) - A French police officer initially charged with murder in the deadly shooting of a teenager in 2023 will instead stand trial for the lesser charge of voluntary assault leading to death, the Versailles appeals court said on Thursday.
Police officer Florian M. had fired at Nahel Merzouk after the latter had failed to comply with an order to stop his car.
The seventeen year old had later died from his wounds, sparking violent protests across the country.
In 2025, the Nanterre prosecutor's office said one of two officers under investigation, identified as Florian M., would face the Assize Court of Hauts-de-Seine on charges of murder.
Florian M. appealed, and the court lowered the charges on Thursday.
His lawyer Laurent-Franck Lienard said he was satisfied with that decision but said that his client should not be on trial at all.
"On this point, it is a real disappointment," he said. "We will continue our efforts so that his shooting is recognized as legitimate."
Under French law, voluntary assault leading to death by a person holding state authority carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, compared with up to 30 years for murder.
A charge of complicity in murder against the other officer was dropped in June.
"The court did not follow the investigating judges regarding the homicidal intent, considering that it had not been established that Florian M. intended, at the moment he fired, to take the driver’s life," the court said in a statement.
A video, widely circulated on social media and verified by Reuters, had shown two police officers beside the car, a Mercedes-AMG, with one firing his weapon as the driver pulled away.
"This is a rather scandalous and shameful decision," said Frank Berton, lawyer for the family of Nahel M.
"It is not for the Versailles appeals court to rule on the intent to kill. With this decision, the court allows the police officer to avoid appearing before a jury."
(Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
