A French police officer will face trial over the killing of a teen that set off nationwide riots

A French police officer will face trial next year on charges of voluntary homicide over the killing of a 17-year-old of North African descent, a death that set off nationwide riots.

PARIS — A French police officer will face trial next year on charges of voluntary homicide over the killing of a 17-year-old of North African descent, a death that set off nationwide riots.

The prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where victim Nahel Merzouk grew up and was killed in 2023, said in a statement that magistrates decided Tuesday to send the police officer to trial after a two-year investigation.

The officer, identified in legal documents only as Florian M., was initially detained but released a few months later pending further investigation. He is expected to face trial in the third quarter of 2026, the prosecutor’s office said.

Nahel Merzouk.Collective for NahelMerzouk’s family and lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the announcement.

The teenager was shot during a traffic stop in Nanterre. Video showed two officers at the window of the Mercedes the youth was driving, one with his gun pointed at Merzouk. As the car pulled forward, the officer fired once.