The 35-year-old Egyptian who had been between life and death since Wednesday evening June 15 in Nice finally died, according to information from the Nice prosecutor's office sent to BFM Nice Côte d'Azur and
Nice-Matin
.
He had been shot by a policeman who tried to stop the van with which smugglers had just forced a roadblock from Italy, four other migrants on board.
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After an alert from the Italian authorities, the refrigerated van suspected of transporting "
foreigners in an irregular situation
" was located overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday in Sospel, a town in the Alpes-Maritimes near the Italian border, said the prosecutor of the Republic of Nice, Xavier Bonhomme, Wednesday afternoon in a press release.
Faced with the driver's refusal to comply, the border police engaged in a chase with the vehicle, until the intervention of another crew about thirty kilometers below, in Cantaron, on a steep road near Nice. .
But "
the van would have accelerated in the direction of (this) police vehicle
" and one of the officials would then have "
used his weapon four times
to try to stop her.
The van ended its escape in the sensitive district of Les Moulins, in Nice, where it was abandoned by its driver and his two passengers seated in the front.
Inside, five migrants were discovered, including a 35-year-old Egyptian who was shot in the head and transported "
in absolute vital emergency
" to hospital.
According to the prosecutor, two bullet holes were identified on the van, a first at the level of the front light, the second above the front tire, which pierced the refrigerated container.
Two open investigations
Two investigations were opened by the prosecution.
One for "
aid for the entry and movement in France of foreigners in an irregular situation in conditions incompatible with human dignity
", but also "
refusal to comply aggravated by the endangerment of others and attempted of homicide against a person holding public authority
", entrusted to the departmental directorate of the border police, detailed the prosecutor.
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The other, of the "
head of voluntary violence with a weapon by a person holding public authority followed by incapacity for more than eight days
", was entrusted to the IGPN, the police force, "
in order to find out whether the official police was in self-defence
.
The Roya valley, on the Franco-Italian border, is, with the Hautes-Alpes, one of the crossing points for migrants between the two countries, after their arrival from Africa, via the Mediterranean.
Smugglers are regularly judged in immediate appearance in Nice.
France has restored border controls since 2015, a year marked by several deadly attacks.
Contacted by AFP, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture was unable to give recent figures on the number of non-admissions at the border in recent months.
