A major of a CRS company was indicted for "
involuntary injuries
", suspected of being responsible for a grenade launch which mutilated a demonstrator during act 2 of the "
Yellow Vests
" on November 24, 2018 in Paris, AFP learned from a source familiar with the matter on Friday March 11.
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According to this source, confirming information from Mediapart, Jackie D., 50, was indicted in February for having "
clumsiness, recklessness, inattention, negligence or breach of an obligation of safety or prudence (...) involuntarily
” mutilated Gabriel Pontonnier, a “
yellow vest
” who lost his right hand, by “
throwing a GLI-F4 grenade without respecting the legal and regulatory recommendations imposed when using this weapon
”.
This policeman, who still exercises within the CRS 07, is also implicated for injuries to other demonstrators caused by the same grenade.
"
This indictment is a decisive step in cases where, too often, the institution is reluctant to question police officers, even when the faults are the most serious
", reacted to AFP the lawyers by Gabriel Pontonnier, Mes Vincent Brengarth and William Bourdon.
"
Act 2
" of the movement of "
yellow vests
", which protested against rising fuel prices, and more broadly against taxes and the decline in purchasing power, brought together 8,000 demonstrators in Paris.
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An “absolutely necessary” shot
In his interrogation, Jackie D. says that he commanded a section of CRS, in a demonstration that became “
insurrectionary
” in the afternoon.
Around 6:00 p.m., on a roundabout at the bottom of the Champs-Elysées, the police officer threw a GLI-G4 grenade in front of him, despite, he admitted, “
visibility conditions (which) weren't enough
", because of the tear gas.
But according to him, this shooting was "
absolutely necessary
", in "
reaction
" to the demonstrators, "
to push back all the individuals who (them) aimed with their projectiles
".
At this stage, however, the justice considers that he did not respect the procedure for several reasons.
In particular because he should have received the express order of a supervisor, which he was never told during his training, even the most recent, he assured before the judge.
He also did not warn on the radio that he was going to shoot and would have fired without prior warnings.
Asked by AFP, his lawyer declined to comment.
The GLI-F4 grenade, a so-called intermediate weapon which was regularly accused of causing mutilation, has been banned since 2020.