Paris police in dock again over unprovoked shooting of civilians

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - A female passenger of a car that was shot at in Paris last weekend in a case of unprovoked firing died Sunday while the three police officers involved were arrested.

The General Inspectorate of the National Police (GINP) has opened an investigation into intentional violence with a weapon by persons holding public authority.

This is the second such incident in less than two months in which Paris police opened fire on unarmed civilians for their refusal to comply with orders.

During a police check on a vehicle in the 18th arrondissement of Paris on May 30, the driver and three passengers refused to comply. The police officers took out their weapons and issued several injunctions. The driver refused to cut the ignition and the police smashed one of the car’s windows with their gun barrels. The suspects were shot as they attempted to flee after shoving a police officer, said a report by BFMTV news.

The driver and a passenger were seriously injured after the officers fired six to nine rounds, the report added.

The Paris police have launched a separate investigation against the occupants of the car over the attempted murder of a person holding public authority.

A young police officer was indicted in April for intentional homicide and willful violence for killing two passengers for refusing to comply with orders. The incident occurred in the center of Paris on the eve of the results of the country’s presidential election.

The shooting killed the 25-year-old driver and a 31-year-old front-seat passenger and injured a 42-year-old backseat passenger.