The killing of Nahel Merzouk
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On 27 June 2023 at 8:18 am, Nahel Merzouk, aged 17, was killed by a police officer in Nanterre, in the Hauts-de-Seine department. Filmed by a witness, his death sparked a wave of revolt across France. One year on, Index reveals a detailed reconstruction of the circumstances of the killing of Nahel Merzouk.
- Incident date
- Location
- Nanterre (France)
- Victim(s)
- Nahel Merzouk (17 y.o.)
- Consequence(s)
- Death
- Force(s) involved
- National Police
- Methods employed
- Firearm
- Partner(s)
- Blast
On 27 June 2023, at 8:18 am, Nahel Merzouk, aged 17, was shot dead by a police officer in Nanterre, on Passage Arago. Filmed by a witness, his death sparked a wave of revolt across France.
One year after the events, Index is publishing a detailed 3D reconstruction of the killing. The investigation cross-references the videos of three witnesses, the documents in the case file, and, for the first time, the footage from the municipal CCTV camera facing Passage Arago. Adding the autopsy report and the photographs of the vehicle, Index reconstructs the car’s trajectory, Nahel Merzouk’s position at the wheel, and the officer’s movements at the moment he fired.
The twenty-two seconds before the shot
The reconstruction establishes that, in the twenty-two seconds before the fatal shot, the officer who fired it, Florian M., hit the windscreen of the car Nahel Merzouk was driving four times with his weapon. The second officer, Julien L., hit the inside of the car and brandished his weapon level with the teenager’s head. One second before the shot, one of the two officers most likely made a death threat.
At the moment he was hit, Nahel Merzouk had his left hand raised in front of his face, most likely to protect himself: the bullet passed through his wrist before hitting him in the chest.
A claim of self-defence contradicted by the footage
When the vehicle moved off again, its trajectory veered away from the pavement and the low wall behind the police officer. The CCTV footage, supplemented by the 3D reconstruction, contradicts the statements made by Florian M. during questioning:
“I opened fire because I felt myself being pushed backwards by the vehicle, towards the wall that was quite close behind me.”
At the moment of the shot, one second after the vehicle moved off, both lanes of Passage Arago were still blocked by stationary vehicles: Nahel Merzouk’s car had no immediate way out. The officer nevertheless justifies his action as self-defence under Article L. 435-1 of the Internal Security Code.