Three police officers will be tried in Paris for involuntary manslaughter, accused of having involuntarily caused the death of deliveryman Cédric Chouviat, who had repeated “I am suffocating” during a tense arrest on January 3, 2020. In the referral order, revealed by Mediapart, the investigating magistrates concluded that the police had engaged in “inappropriate, negligent and reckless behavior” leading to the asphyxiation of this father, who died in the age of 42. A fourth policewoman, who had been placed during the investigation under the more favorable status of assisted witness, escaped a trial.
“I’m suffocating”
The facts date back to January 3, 2020. Cédric Chouviat, a scooter deliveryman, was pinned to the ground in Paris, with his motorcycle helmet on his head during a police check, causing discomfort. Hospitalized in critical condition, he was pronounced dead on January 5.
Six months after his death, the case became emblematic of police violence after revelations from the judicial expertise: when he was put on the ground and handcuffed by the police, Cédric Chouviat said “I’m suffocating” nine times. in 13 seconds, before feeling unwell.
“An important step for the family”
His pleas were reminiscent of the death of George Floyd, an African-American man suffocated in May 2020 by a white police officer in Minneapolis, a tragedy which triggered an immense wave of demonstrations in the United States.
The referral of the three police officers to the Paris criminal court is “an important step for the family of Cédric” Chouviat, said Arié Alimi, the family’s lawyer. “It is also the case for the judicial treatment of police violence. The hearing will be the place and time for important debates on the functioning of the police institution and the judicial institution,” he said.
Two defendants appeal
My William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth, other lawyers for the family, also welcomed a “crucial step” but regretted “the choice of the qualification” of involuntary homicide “which distorts and obscures” the “voluntary” character, according to them, of the violence.
For her part, lawyer Pauline Ragot, who represents the captain and another police officer involved, indicated that she had appealed the order, issued on December 17.
