French Officer Faces Investigation After Injuring Teen With Tear Gas

A 14-year-old boy sustained a fractured jaw and extensive dental injuries after a French police officer fired a tear gas grenade directly at his face during unrest outside a vocational high school in a suburb north of Paris late last month. Video footage verified by The New York Times shows the confrontation, which has led to the officer's suspension and a criminal investigation. Medical records reviewed by The New York Times indicate that the teenager requires at least six weeks to recover and could experience long-term limitations in jaw movement and chronic pain.

His lawyer, Elsa Marcel, said he underwent surgery the day after the incident and has been unable to speak properly or eat normally. The teenager, identified as Eden in one report and Edan in another, was standing approximately two meters from the officer when the grenade struck him, according to footage and accounts cited by The New York Times. The incident occurred as police attempted to disperse students gathered near the school's entrance.

According to accounts of the confrontation, a male officer first pushed the boy with a tear gas launcher while a female officer struck him with a baton. The teenager then kicked toward the female officer before the male officer fired the grenade at his face.

Prosecutors said the male officer told investigators that he believed his colleague was in danger when he discharged the grenade. Authorities have not publicly identified the officer, who remains suspended while the investigation proceeds. Witnesses and teachers have challenged the suggestion that the teenager participated in the demonstration. They said he had been watching and recording events from a parking lot approximately 50 meters from the protest site.

Before the confrontation, the boy had sent his mother a text message explaining that roads were blocked and that he was heading home. He had enrolled at the vocational institution only a few weeks earlier, according to the reports. The school primarily serves boys from low-income families.

The teenager's legal team is seeking an attempted murder charge against the officer, according to South Korean broadcaster SBS. The French Interior Ministry declined to comment on the case, The New York Times reported.

The investigation forms part of a broader examination of police conduct during demonstrations across France. The New York Times reported that prosecutors and oversight bodies were reviewing at least 34 suspected cases of police misconduct linked to the suppression of protests. According to France's Interior Ministry, the cases include an incident in which a 15-year-old boy lost his left hand after a police stun grenade exploded and another involving a 16-year-old boy hospitalized with an eye injury believed to have been caused by a police rubber bullet.

The injuries have intensified public anger over police tactics and contributed to tensions between demonstrators and law enforcement. Coverage by The New York Times also described how police actions against young people became a focus of criticism during the unrest, which included demonstrations and looting.

Concerns about police weapons also extend to France's Yellow Vest movement, which lasted from 2018 to 2020. During those protests, some demonstrators lost an eye after being struck by rubber bullets fired by police.

Sébastien Roche, a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, said policing methods developed over the past decade were increasingly being applied to teenagers. He called on the government to reassess its use of such weapons as authorities continue investigating allegations of excessive force.