Tensions flared in a Paris suburb on Tuesday following the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old delivery driver by a police officer during a traffic stop. The incident ignited clashes between residents and law enforcement, with burning barricades and tear gas filling the streets.

The officer involved has been taken into custody on suspicion of manslaughter, according to the prosecutor's office in Nanterre, where the shooting occurred. The prosecutor's statement confirmed the driver died at the scene from a gunshot wound. A passenger in the vehicle was briefly detained and later released, while authorities are currently searching for another passenger who fled.

A vehicle burns in Nanterre, west of Paris, on June 27, 2023, following protests sparked by the police shooting of a teenage delivery driver. (ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP via Getty Images)

Such fatal shootings involving police are less frequent in France compared to the United States, bringing this incident under intense national scrutiny. The driver, identified as 17-year-old Nael M. by his legal team, was represented by three lawyers who disputed police claims that the officers' lives were at risk due to alleged threats from the driver.

The lawyers pointed to an online video purportedly depicting the incident, which appears to show two officers interacting with the driver through the window of a yellow car. The car then drives off, and a shot is fired by one officer. The vehicle is later seen crashed into a nearby post.

The immediate aftermath of the shooting saw unrest erupt in Nanterre, with residents demonstrating outside police headquarters. Protesters set fire to barricades and garbage bins, vandalized a bus stop, and launched firecrackers towards police, who responded with tear gas and dispersion grenades, as documented in videos circulating on local media.

This incident follows a series of controversial encounters between French police and civilians in recent years, raising concerns about police accountability and sparking calls for reform. France has also witnessed protests against racial profiling and injustice, echoing similar demonstrations in the United States following the death of George Floyd.