The prosecutor wants a trial for the French police in the case of the death of the courier during the strangulation

Issued: 31/10/2024 – 07:59

2 min

Shuvia, 42, died while in police custody in January 2020, repeatedly saying, “I’m suffocating.”

The three officers – aged 28, 33 and 38 – were not fired and continue to perform their duties. In 2020, they were formally investigated for manslaughter while the case was being heard by an investigating judge.

The fourth officer, a female police officer, received more favorable status as an “assistant witness” and avoided prosecution.

Prosecutors’ request, released Tuesday, calls for the three officers to be tried in criminal court on charges of involuntary manslaughter.

The information was confirmed by a source close to the case, after a previous report by the investigation site Mediapart.

The decision to send officers to court is made by the investigating judge.

The riots in the French strongholds are now over, but deep-seated anger remains

An emblematic case

The case of Chouvia, a courier and father of five, has become a symbol of police violence in France.

He was pressed to the ground during a police to register Parisstill wearing a motorcycle helmet.

According to reports, Shuvia was restrained and handcuffed behind his back for a minute and a half without checking on his condition.

Witness footage reportedly showed Shuvia’s legs moving up and down before he passed out. He was taken to hospital in critical condition and died two days later on January 5.

A forensic examination revealed that Shuvia said “I’m choking” nine times within 13 seconds before passing out.

His requests were like requests George Floydan African-American man who died during an arrest in Minneapolis in May 2020, a case that fueled Black Lives Matter protests in the United States.

French police questioned in connection with the death of a courier in Paris during an arrest

Warning signs are not noticed

During the investigation, the police claimed that they believed that Shuvia was “constantly rebelling” against his arrest.

“If we heard the words ‘I’m suffocating’ even once, we would have stopped,” one officer told the judge in July 2020.

However, witnesses took Shuvia’s actions as a sign of trouble, and footage shows the police continuing regardless.

Investigators noted that police officers were trained to recognize such warning signs.

For Shuvia’s family attorneys, the manslaughter charges don’t fully reflect the intent behind the actions.

“Strangulation by its very nature is intentional,” said the family’s attorney, Arie Alimi, adding, “If the charge remains manslaughter, the risk of acquittal is high.”