Overview
- The shooting happened late Tuesday night when municipal police tried to stop a car that refused to obey a control and then fled, triggering a pursuit that ended at the Avignon‑Nord/A7 toll in Vedène.
- At the toll the fleeing vehicle performed several maneuvers, struck a municipal vehicle and ran over an officer's foot, and a municipal officer then fired a shot that mortally wounded the 29‑year‑old driver.
- The victim has been identified as a 29‑year‑old from the Aix‑en‑Provence area who was known to police and had recently been on semi‑liberty.
- The Parquet d'Avignon opened two investigations: one into refusal to comply and violence against public authority by the driver, and a second into murder by a person vested with public authority targeting the officer.
- Gendarmes are holding and questioning the municipal officer and investigators are examining CCTV of the scene; the case is ongoing and evidence review will determine whether the use of lethal force was lawful.