Every day, Mounia Merzouk visits the grave of her son Nahel, who was shot by a police officer on the morning of June 27, 2023, in Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine.

In an interview on March 8, Merzouk, 46, expressed the profound impact of her loss, stating, "My role as a mother now is to go say hello to my son every morning at his grave.

And that’s how my life has become; after that, I go home." She has largely withdrawn from social activities, spending her time in a lonely apartment that serves as a stark reminder of her son's absence.

With a trembling voice, she shared, "I will never be able to grieve for my son.

Every person reminds me of June 27."

On that day, the 17-year-old was driving a Mercedes and attempted to flee during a police traffic stop, leading to a fatal encounter.

His death, accompanied by the rapid dissemination of a video documenting the shooting, ignited several days of unrest across various underserved neighborhoods in France.

In a recent development, the public prosecutor of Nanterre sought to indict officer Florian M. for murder, while a second officer was placed under the status of a witness with no charges against him.

In response, nearly 2,500 police officers gathered in protest the day after the indictment request, prompted by the far-right police union Alliance.

The implicated officer has received support from prominent figures.

Alexandre Brugère, the prefect of Hauts-de-Seine and former chief of staff to Gérald Darmanin, visited the Nanterre police station to reassure officers, stating, "I came here to tell you that your leaders care about you and that with Laurent Nuñez, under the authority of Bruno Retailleau, we are with you." Laurent Nuñez, the Paris police prefect, expressed his shock at the prosecutor's decision, while Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reiterated his unwavering support for police and gendarmes, emphasizing the presumption of innocence in the case.

Following the June protests, in which she participated, Merzouk has been acutely aware that her words and actions are being closely observed.

She has deliberately sought to distance herself from the label of activist, stating, "I do not wish to become a spokesperson for police violence." She articulated her perspective on a potential trial, asserting that it would center on the actions of "the two police officers who killed my son… He did not deserve to die like this.

The video you keep showing, I will see it for the rest of my life." Although she wishes for her son's death to provoke discussions on police operations, she firmly believes that the police should protect children rather than endanger them.

In recent discussions on news channels, Merzouk has been confronted with narratives regarding her son’s "dangerous driving." Her second attorney, Yasmina Belmokhtar, highlighted a pattern in cases involving police violence, noting, "It is systematic in police violence cases.

Victims are criminalized, while perpetrators are turned into heroes." While acknowledging her son’s decision to evade police, Merzouk maintained that this cannot justify the outcome of his fatal shooting.

She stated, "There is a victim in this case, and that is Nahel.

Every time we talk about Nahel, we deny the reality that a law enforcement officer dismounted his motorcycle with a weapon in hand and killed my boy."