A French policeman has been indicted in New Caledonia over the fatal shooting of a prison escapee in a stolen vehicle.
Photo: AFP
William Decoire was shot dead at a roadblock in St Louis in 2016, triggering the territory's worst violence in a decade and prompting the French interior ministry to boost police numbers.
The indictment became public yesterday when at the behest of the victim's mother, the shooting episode was reconstructed under the supervision of a judge but with the exclusion of the media.
In late 2016, the victim's mother lodged a voluntary homicide complaint yet a month later, the prosecutor closed the case after concluding that the policeman had fired in legitimate self-defence.
Depending on how the indictment will impact on the further examination of the incident, the matter could be taken to court.
The policeman risks up to 15 years in jail, should the case go to court.