Rennes: What we know about the death of a young woman killed by a police officer – 20 Minutes

The exit ramp from the Rennes ring road leading to the Lorient road has long been closed. On the asphalt, agents of the judicial police but also the public prosecutor were present for a reconstruction of the facts this Wednesday morning. This is where a 22-year-old woman was shot and killed by a police officer while she was in a car around 1 a.m. on Wednesday. According to initial findings, the driver of the vehicle would have tried to force the police barrier which had been erected as part of an anti-drug operation. Twelve hours after the events, here is what we know. Who was the victim? Aged 22, the victim was a passenger in the Peugeot 208. According to the public prosecutor Philippe Astruc, the young woman was the little driver’s friend. She was hit by a bullet in the chest. Unknown to the judicial services, the victim obviously resided in the Rouen region (Seine Maritime). “Despite the intervention of the emergency services, she had to die quickly on the spot at 2:15 a.m.”, specifies the prosecutor. According to initial findings, the bullet first hit the driver in the wrist before ricocheting and fatally hitting the passenger. The man behind the wheel is 26 years old. He is already known to the judicial services for drug trafficking. He was taken into custody. Why did the police officer shoot? According to the Rennes prosecutor’s office, a single shot was recorded by a Nantes BRI police officer. This unit had been called in to support the judicial police to carry out this anti-drug operation. This arrest took place within the framework of an investigation for violation of the narcotics legislation open for several months, said the prosecutor. Positioned across the exit ramp, the four police vehicles were not enough to stop the driver, who tried to force his way through. During his first hearing, the policeman behind the shooting explained “having been hit by the Peugeot vehicle in the leg when he was trying to protect himself by extracting himself from the vehicle rushing towards him”. Slightly injured, the agent was able to leave the hospital on Wednesday. What are the legal consequences of this case? Three legal proceedings are underway. The first concerns drug trafficking of which the driver of the vehicle is suspected. The other two are criminal proceedings opened overnight following the police operation. One targets the driver of the Peugeot 208 for “attempted intentional homicide on a person holding public authority”. She was entrusted to the Rennes PJ. The other concerns the police officer who fired the fatal shot. Instigated by the IGPN, the procedure is open for “willful violence resulting in death” and “violence with a weapon”.