Marseille, a 27-year-old killed: "A police rubber bullet hit him in the chest"

After two nights of relative calm in France, news arrives that could plunge the country back into chaos.

A 27-year-old boy died in the night between Saturday and Sunday in Marseille due to the " violent shock to the chest caused by a flash-ball type rubber bullet used by the police ".

This was announced by the Marseille prosecutor's office, which has opened an investigation into the case, recalling that "riots and looting took place in the area that night, even if it is not possible to determine whether the victim participated in it or if he was just circulating nearby ".

"The elements of the investigation - specifies a source from the Marseilles prosecutor's office - allow us to consider as probable a death caused by a violent shock to the chest caused by a flash-ball type projectile".

The impact of the bullet " caused cardiac arrest and therefore death in a short interval ", added the prosecutor, specifying that it had opened "an investigation into fatal injuries caused by the use or threat of a weapon".

Marseille, France's second city, was the scene of serious clashes between police and groups of young protesters, as well as looting, over the weekend . A very impressive police deployment was decided in the night between Saturday and Sunday after very violent clashes had occurred in the previous one.

(Unioneonline/L)