Nahel Case: Police Officer to Stand Trial for Murder, Defense to Appeal

The police officer indicted for fatally shooting 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in Nanterre in June 2023 will face trial before a criminal court. On Tuesday, June 3, two investigating judges signed an order to indict him for voluntary manslaughter. The trial is expected to take place before the Hauts-de-Seine Assize Court in the second or third quarter of 2026, pending any appeals.

Shot Deemed Incompatible with Self-Defense

The Nanterre prosecutor’s office, which had requested the indictment back in March, concluded that the conditions for self-defense were not met. Prosecutors argued that the officer could have used less lethal means to stop the vehicle—such as aiming at the tires or hood—and that opening fire posed a “reckless” level of risk. A bystander video, which contradicted the officer’s initial account that the teenager had driven toward him, played a key role in the investigation.

Meanwhile, the second officer present at the scene was cleared of charges, as the prosecution requested a dismissal in his case.

Defense Disputes Trial Decision

The officer’s lawyer, Laurent-Franck Lienard, has announced plans to appeal the indictment, calling for the case to be dropped entirely. His client had initially been charged with murder and placed in pre-trial detention in 2023 before being released under judicial supervision.

Nahel’s death sparked days of riots across France and ignited a national debate on police conduct. Nearly a year later, his mother, Mounia Merzouk, remains determined to see the case brought to trial. “I just want a trial, nothing more,” she said in a March interview on France 5’s C l’hebdo, adding that she “trusts the justice system.”