Under the scorching sun, about forty people move forward in silence. All dressed in a t-shirt bearing a photo of a dark-haired man, with a discreet smile, above which are written these words “Justice for Philippe”. Saturday morning, a white march was organized between Drancy and the Bobigny tribunal de grande instance in memory of Philippe F. This 36-year-old father who died on the night of May 23 to 24 in Drancy during his arrest by the forces of the ‘order.
“All we want is to do him justice”, breathes the voice full of emotion Karen, his ex-girlfriend, at the origin of this march. “We want to understand what happened, his death should never have happened”, continues Kevin, 26, the son-in-law of Philippe, who was at the head of the procession on Saturday.
Arrested after trying to break into his ex
On the night of May 23 to 24, the driving school manager, in a drunken state, tries to break into his ex-girlfriend’s house with whom he has a son. She then calls the police. “We weren’t afraid of him, he was a deeply nice person. We just wanted to be quiet, ”says Kevin – Karen’s eldest son – who was present that evening.
Once there, the police try to control Philippe. But he would then have received several blows from truncheons after refusing to let himself be handcuffed.
“An officer then took his truncheon and pressed his throat to calm him down, he did not move. The police didn’t seem worried, I thought he was asleep. Later, a second brigade arrived and someone decided to give him CPR. It was too late. If they have done wrong, they must be punished. I trust in justice! “says Kevin.
Death by asphyxiation
In early June, the Bobigny prosecutor’s office opened a judicial investigation to find the causes of death. The autopsy revealed that the death had been caused by “mechanical asphyxia by cervical compression associated with craniofacial trauma”.
A toxicological analysis also revealed a heavy consumption of cocaine and alcohol which could be “the cause of acute intoxication”, according to the prosecution.
The typeface of the typed fonts
“We now hope to have answers quickly, surely at the beginning of July and to be able to recover his remains to bury him as quickly as possible”, describes Maître Patrick Arapian, the lawyer for Philippe’s ex-companion, who has filed a civil action. in the case.
An investigation was also opened by the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), supervised by an investigating judge.
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