a motorist killed by a police officer after refusing to comply in the suburbs of Angoulême

A motorist was killed by a police officer who used his weapon after refusing to comply, around 4 a.m. on Wednesday June 14, in Saint-Yrieix-sur-Charente, in the suburbs of Angoulême, announced Stéphanie Aouine, public prosecutor. She added that she would communicate “more during the day”. The policeman was also slightly injured in the legs during this intervention.

According to the Alliance union, which supports the police, the driver fled and robbed “its wheels in the direction of a policeman” before hitting it “at the level of the legs”. In a press release, the union explains that the police have “simultaneously fired once again”. The driver, shot “at the level of the rib cage”, would then have lost control of his vehicle. The union specifies that the individual died despite the care provided.

This death in Charente comes as police unions denounce an increase in refusals to comply during road checks. In 2022, 13 people were killed by the police as part of controls in France, a record that authorities and unions attribute to more dangerous driving behavior, while researchers blame a 2017 law modifying the use of their weapon by law enforcement.