France internationals Kylian Mbappé, Jules Koundé and Mike Maignan have taken to Twitter to voice their anger after the death of Naël, a 17-year-old French teenager in Nanterre, a suburb west of Paris, on Monday morning.
While driving a car, the teenager was arrested by two policemen. One of them fatally shot Naël. The initial police report stated that the officer shot Naël because he was driving his car at him. However, footage shows that the police officer fatally fired at point-blank range as the car drove off, with none of the policemen on the scene seemingly in danger of being run over.
The policeman is currently in police custody on the count of involuntary manslaughter. Scenes of riots shook Nanterre overnight and French celerities expressed outrage, including Mbappé. The France skipper and PSG all-time record goalscorer said it hurts to be French and spoke of an “unacceptable situation.” “All my thoughts go out to the family and close ones of Naël, this little angel gone too soon.”
https://twitter.com/KMbappe/status/1673936766871502850
Barcelona defender Jules Koundé was more vocal on the issue, criticising a section of the French media with being “out of touch with reality” and for trying to “twist the truth and criminalize the victim” as well as warrant the violent death of a teenager by a police officer over a refusal to comply. “This is the tragic reality of the situation.” Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konaté seemed to express agreement with Koundé as he commented “Thank you” to the post of his France teammate.
Un jeune homme de 17 ans abattu à bout portant par un policier pour un refus d’obtempérer lors d’un contrôle. Telle est la réalité de la situation et elle est dramatique.
— Jules Kounde (@jkeey4) June 27, 2023
Comme si cette nouvelle bavure policière ne suffisait pas les chaînes d'information en continu en font leurs…
AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan then insinuated that Naël’s death shows that some people are more at risk of being shot by police than others. “A bullet in the head… It’s always for the same people that to be in the wrong leads to death. For Naël, for his mum.“
Une balle dans la tête…C'est toujours pour les mêmes qu'être en tort conduit à la mort. Pour Naël, pour sa maman 🕊️☝🏾 https://t.co/pnyWerSDFv
— Magic Mike Maignan (@mmseize) June 28, 2023
