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Outrage Over Officer’s Role in Paris Olympics Ceremony After Police Shooting
PARIS (AP) — Issam El Khalfaoui received an unexpected phone call during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. It was his sister, conveying heartbreaking news: the officer responsible for the shooting death of his son was appearing on television, showcasing his BMX abilities to millions worldwide.
“I could hear the devastation in her voice,” El Khalfaoui recounted. “I was in shock, thinking: that can’t be true.”
The officer’s visibility during the Olympics ceremony has sparked a fresh wave of protests against police violence in France, especially concerning the killings of young individuals from Arab and Black communities. This incident has reignited calls for greater accountability within the police force.
In August 2021, El Khalfaoui’s 19-year-old son, Souheil, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Marseille by an officer in training. A homicide investigation is ongoing, yet the officer remains on duty.
The officer, Romain Devassine, an amateur BMX rider, participated in the opening ceremony by performing on floating platforms on the Seine River. He described the experience as “unforgettable,” but he did not compete in the actual Olympic events.
Requests for comments from both the officer’s legal counsel and the Interior Ministry have gone unanswered.
After receiving the call from his sister, Issam El Khalfaoui felt compelled to express his anger through an opinion piece published on the French investigative platform Mediapart. “I’m deeply interested in understanding who permitted this man to take the stage,” he articulated.
Anne Descamps, spokesperson for the Paris 2024 organizing committee, stated that performers were hired by an external production company, with selection criteria based on creativity.
During the encounter that led to Souheil’s death, police reports indicated he attempted to reverse his vehicle. Documentation from the internal police agency (IGPN) suggests this action posed a danger to another officer, prompting Devassine to shoot him in the chest.
Souheil had previously fled from a police stop the day prior.
The El Khalfaoui family, along with their legal representatives, have raised concerns about the internal investigation’s integrity, pointing to lost CCTV footage from nearby establishments, a failure to interview critical witnesses, and the unusual circumstance of the officer being released immediately after the incident.
While acknowledging Souheil’s evasion of the traffic stop, his family disputes the claim that he put an officer at risk. “Many have criticized Souheil for not complying,” Issam El Khalfaoui noted. “That said, not stopping shouldn’t have led to his death.”
The family’s plight aligns them with other families mourning loved ones lost to police violence, particularly since French police have been granted broader permissions to use their firearms since 2017.
A 2023 study reveals a sixfold increase in police shootings of individuals in vehicles since that year.
“By allowing officers greater latitude to shoot, we are inevitably accepting that more lives will be lost,” emphasized Sebastian Roché, a criminologist affiliated with the French National Center for Scientific Research, who contributed to the study. “The current laws permit shooting at individuals who are not immediate threats and who haven’t committed a crime, merely based on assumptions about potential future actions.”
In response to the escalating threats encountered during traffic stops, police unions claim officers are encountering life-threatening situations more frequently. “Today’s traffic stops are our most perilous missions,” noted Jean-Christophe Couvy, general secretary of the Unité police union. “Sometimes we face individuals who show no regard for human life. We must make split-second defensive decisions.”
The fatal shooting of another teenager of North African descent, 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, during a traffic enforcement incident in a Paris suburb last year incited significant riots across the nation, with demonstrators highlighting issues of racism and excessive police force.
The recent revelation involving the officer participating in the Olympic ceremony has intensified the emotions of families who have faced similar tragedies. “My son’s story is not an isolated case,” Issam El Khalfaoui remarked. “I have little optimism about how this will resolve, but I am determined to prevent this from recurring for others.”
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