Paris Olympics stir grief: Officer in teen's shooting takes centre stage

Grieving family shocked as police officer who shot their teen performs in opening ceremony

PARIS:

A French police officer who fatally shot a teenager of Tunisian heritage during a 2021 traffic stop was among BMX riders at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, causing distress to the deceased teenager's family.

Romain Devassine, 26, shot 19-year-old Soheil El Khalfaoui as he attempted to drive off during a traffic stop in Marseille on August 4, 2021. The teenager's family has been seeking justice for the past three years, with a murder investigation by Marseille authorities ongoing. When Soheil's aunt, Samia El Khalfaoui, saw Devassine on television during the opening ceremony, she described the shock as "a cold shower."

"I found it indecent, disrespectful. He was there, majestic on the stage in his Napoleon costume - it was as if he was mocking us," she told Reuters.

Neither Devassine nor the interior ministry responded to requests for comment on his role in the fatal shooting or his participation in the opening ceremony.

El Khalfaoui is among over 20 people shot dead by French police since 2020, most of whom were Black or Arab men, according to a Reuters tally. The fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in a Paris suburb in 2023, under similar circumstances, sparked nationwide unrest and highlighted grievances over neglect and discrimination among immigrant communities.

A police watchdog report seen by Reuters indicates that Devassine admitted to shooting the teenager, claiming it was to save his colleague's life. To date, no charges have been brought against Devassine.

A French law introduced in 2017 allows police to use firearms following a refusal to comply with a traffic stop if the driver poses a risk to life or physical safety.

Devassine posted photos of the ceremony on his Instagram profile on July 27, stating, "It was incredible to live this ceremony in the middle of the Seine with the boys."

Due to heavy rain, they could not perform live, and the footage shown on TV was recorded during the afternoon's training, according to La Voix du Nord newspaper.

Paris 2024 organisers stated that all performers were hired by a production agency. Soheil's father, Issam El Khalfaoui, expressed frustration over the slow investigation: "The most difficult thing is to think that three years have passed and he is doing his stunts on TV while the investigative judge still hasn't interrogated him - if the judge had done his work, he wouldn't be on TV."

The family's lawyer, Arie Alimi, confirmed that Devassine was still working as a police officer. "It is a sign that the Interior Ministry showcases authors of police violence," he said.

The Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for confirmation of Devassine's employment or to Alimi's allegation of showcasing police violence.