The Versailles appeals court has reduced the charge against police officer Florian M. in the 2023 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk from murder to voluntary assault leading to death. The court said it found no clear proof of homicidal intent at the moment the shot was fired. The reduced charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years versus 30 for murder, a decision denounced by the victim's lawyer as preventing a jury trial. The case remains a focal point in debates over police use of force in France.
Versailles Appeals Court Downgrades Charge in 2023 Killing of Teen Nahel Merzouk
FILE PHOTO: People hold placards during a demonstration to demand justice two years after the death of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager killed by a French police officer during a traffic stop, in Nanterre, near Paris, France, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
The Versailles appeals court on Thursday reduced the charge against a French police officer originally accused of murder in the 2023 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk. The officer, identified as Florian M., will now face trial for the lesser offence of voluntary assault leading to death.
According to court records and reporting, Florian M. fired at Nahel after the teenager failed to obey an order to stop his car. Nahel later died of his wounds, an event that triggered violent protests across France.
Legal Change and Reactions
In 2025, the Nanterre prosecutor's office had said one of the two officers under investigation — named as Florian M. — would be sent to the Assize Court of Hauts-de-Seine on a murder charge. Florian M. lodged an appeal against that decision, and on Thursday the Versailles court lowered the charge to voluntary assault leading to death.
What the court said: The appeals court stated it did not follow the investigating judges on the question of homicidal intent, concluding that it had not been established that Florian M. intended, at the moment he fired, to kill the driver.
"On this point, it is a real disappointment," said Laurent-Franck Lienard, the officer's lawyer, while also welcoming the reduced charge. "We will continue our efforts so that his shooting is recognized as legitimate."
Under French law, voluntary assault leading to death by a person exercising state authority carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, compared with up to 30 years for murder.
Evidence and Public Response
A widely circulated video, verified by news organisations, shows two police officers beside a Mercedes-AMG as the driver pulled away and one officer fired his weapon. The footage was central to public outrage and the protests that followed Nahel's death.
Frank Berton, lawyer for Nahel's family, denounced the appeals court ruling as "a rather scandalous and shameful decision," arguing that it is not for the appeals court to determine intent and that the outcome effectively prevents the officer from being tried by a jury.
A separate charge of complicity in murder against the second officer under investigation was dropped in June.
What Comes Next
With the charge reduced, the case proceeds under a different legal framework and potential sentencing range. The decision has reignited debate about police use of force, judicial review, and how intent is established in fatal shootings involving law enforcement.
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