Death after refusing to comply in Chambéry: suicide or accidental shooting being investigated
A 27-year-old driver died on Tuesday 8 September in Chambéry after being found injured by gunshot. Police reportedly did not fire.
Violence in Chambéry following a man's death during a chase
A 27-year-old man died on Tuesday 8 September in the afternoon in Chambéry, Savoie, from a gunshot wound to the head sustained during a refusal to comply the previous evening. According to France Info, initial findings from the investigation indicate that police did not use their weapons. Hypotheses of suicide or accidental discharge from the victim himself are now being prioritised.
A night of violence in several neighbourhoods
During the night of Monday 7 to Tuesday 8 September, several neighbourhoods in Chambéry experienced significant urban violence. A social centre and shops were ransacked: windows smashed, shelves vandalised, municipal buildings severely damaged. Reinforcements of riot police had to intervene to restore order. Faced with the scale of destruction, residents expressed their distress. "It breaks your heart to see things like this," lamented a passer-by. A local resident agreed: "We had a wonderful establishment here, where people could meet, there were marvellous connections, and it is lamentable."
A chase from Cognin
The events began around 20:00, when a driver who had committed several traffic violations refused to stop at a checkpoint. An anti-crime unit (BAC) then pursued him from the municipality of Cognin to a dead-end street in Chambéry. An amateur video circulated quickly on social media, showing a police officer opening the vehicle door and extracting the young man, who was unconscious, with a visible head wound. These images fuelled rumours of police misconduct in the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Police did not fire, according to checks
Two anonymous witnesses, however, contradict the theory of police shooting. The first, present at the scene, claims to have heard no gunshot. "There were no shots fired by police, because there was no noise. At no time did police use their firearm," he stated. The second witness, from his balcony, says he saw the pursued driver place a revolver in his trousers at the time of events. "I saw a car pass at high speed, a young man inside it. And I saw him put a revolver in his trousers," he recounted.
The Public Prosecutor of Chambéry, Xavier Sicot, confirmed that the service weapons of the officers were checked upon their return. "Checks on the service weapons of the officers showed that these had not been used since no ammunition was missing," he stated.
IGPN seized, all lines of inquiry open
The National Police Inspectorate (IGPN), the police's internal affairs unit, was called in on the case. Investigators are now examining two hypotheses: an accidental act or an intentional act by the victim himself. Residents close to the neighbourhood describe the 27-year-old young man as someone who was psychologically fragile.
Source: France Info