Police in riot gear stand guard as firefighters work to put out fires after a protest in Nanterre, west of Paris, on June 27, 2023, after French police killed a teenager who refused to stop for a traffic check in the city. (ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP via NANTERRE, France - France’s government on Wednesday announced heightened police presence around Paris and other big cities and called for calm after scattered violence erupted over the death of a 17-year-old delivery driver who was shot and killed during a police check.The death prompted nationwide concern and widespread messages of indignation and condolences, including from soccer star Kylian Mbappe.It also triggered unrest in multiple towns around Paris.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 31 people were arrested, 25 police officers injured and 40 cars burned in overnight unrest.The tensions focused around the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where lawyers say 17-year-old Nael M.
was killed Tuesday during a traffic check. The police officer suspected of firing on him was detained and faces potential manslaughter charges, according to the Nanterre prosecutor's office.The Nanterre neighborhood where Nael lived remained tense Wednesday morning, with police on guard and burned car wreckage and overturned garbage bins still visible in some areas.Nael’s mother appealed online for a silent march on Thursday in her son's honor, near the scene of his death.Firefighters arrive to put out fires after a protest in Nanterre, west of Paris, on June 27, 2023, after French police killed a teenager who refused to stop for a traffic check in the city. (ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP via Getty Images) Videos purported to be of the incident were "extremely shocking," Darmanin said, pledging a full.