Laurent-Franck Liénard, lawyer for the policeman who killed Sunday on the Pont-Neuf in Paris two men who would have, in the car, restarted hastily towards a patrol, indicated to AFP Thursday that he found "irrelevant" the setting under examination of his client for "voluntary homicide".

“The qualification used in this file may be political but it is not relevant,” said this lawyer.

Voluntary homicide is punishable by 30 years' imprisonment.

The homicide “not in the state of mind of the police officer”

"A police officer who uses his administrative weapon to arrest an offender does not want to kill him: he wants to stop a dangerous action", insisted Me Liénard, adding: "The homicidal intention is not in the state of spirit of the policeman when he opens fire".

According to him, in this case, the qualification adopted should be "willful violence resulting in death without intention to give it", a criminal qualification punishable by fifteen years of imprisonment, retained for the front passenger of the vehicle by the judges of instruction.

Asked whether his client had invoked self-defense to explain his shooting, the lawyer refused to answer in the name of the secrecy of the instruction.

“It is the merits of the case, it is the instruction that will determine it”, he underlined.

Alliance calls for a rally

While the Alliance union, classified on the right, described this qualification as “inadmissible” and called for a rally before the Paris Court of Appeal, Me Liénard regretted that “everyone is excited.

The police unions want to recover this file, I say that we must keep our senses.

“What matters will be the qualification used when the case is referred to a trial court”, he also underlined.

The 24-year-old peacekeeper was indicted on Wednesday evening for "intentional homicide" concerning the driver, "deliberate violence by a person holding public authority resulting in death without intention to give it" concerning the front passenger and for "willful violence aggravated by a person holding public authority" against the rear passenger.

He was placed under judicial supervision.

Why self-defense was not retained in the Pont-Neuf drama

Justice

Deaths on the Pont-Neuf in Paris: The indictment of the "inadmissible" police officer for the Alliance union

  • Miscellaneous facts

  • Paris

  • Shooting

  • Police

  • Police officer

  • Ile-de-France