By Canadian Press

Police officer detained after 7th death in France’s restive New Caledonia territory

May 24, 2024 | 3:21 AM

PARIS (AP) — The French prosecutor for New Caledonia says a police officer has been taken into custody after shooting and killing a man when the officer was set upon by a group of about 15 people.

Yves Dupas says the officer is believed to have fired one shot, killing a 48-year-old man on Friday afternoon. It’s the seventh shooting death reported since unrest erupted May 13 on the archipelago over contested voted reforms.

It comes a day after French President Emmanuel Macron made an emergency round-trip from Paris to de-escalate the violence in New Caledonia, where Indigenous Kanak people have long sought independence from France.

A written statement from the prosecutor did not specify whether the officer is a man or a woman. It said the officer and a colleague were driving in an area north of the capital, Nouméa, on Friday afternoon — just hours after Macron took off on his return to Paris — when they “were physically attacked by a group of around 15 individuals.”

“The official allegedly used their service weapon by firing a shot to extract themselves from this physical altercation. A 48-year-old man was fatally shot,” the statement said.

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Culturally appropriate food goes beyond the ingredients on a plate

2h ago

Two and Out

PETERS: Whether building up or tearing down, Kamloops is what you make it

20h ago

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: How to reduce food waste in Kamloops during the festive season

Dec 13, 2024

It said the officers’ faces showed traces of having received blows.

The prosecutor said he has opened a voluntary homicide investigation into the shooting — customary for French officers in such cases — and the officer is in custody for questioning.

The Associated Press