Overview

• Judicial investigators directed that the officer be tried for murder at the cour d’assises after a point-blank shot killed Merzouk during a traffic stop.
• The officer’s lawyers appealed the indictment, insisting his shot was legitimate and prevented further harm after Merzouk allegedly drove at over 116 km/h.
• On June 27, around 100 family members and activists gathered in Nanterre to renew calls for justice under banners denouncing un infanticide raciste.
• Nanterre Mayor Raphaël Adam pledged to install a commemorative plaque at the site of Merzouk’s death to honor his memory.
• Merzouk’s killing and the ensuing legal battle have fueled national debates over police accountability and systemic discrimination in France’s suburbs.