After an investigation that lasted nearly a year, a police officer has just been charged in Bordeaux as part of the judicial investigation opened after the serious head injury suffered by Olivier Beziade, a volunteer firefighter from Bazas (Gironde), during Act IX of the “yellow vests”, on January 12, 2019, in the center of Bordeaux.
The police officer is indicted for intentional violence with a weapon which resulted in a work disruption (ITT) of more than 8 days, by a depositary of public authority, said Laurent-Franck Liénard, his lawyer, confirming an information published by the daily South West, Wednesday January 8. The “Criminal qualification (…) could evolve according to the conclusions of the report that a medical expert specialist in forensic medicine must submit shortly”, adds the daily. The parquet could not be joined.
Heavy after-effects
This member of the Anti-Crime Brigade (BAC) is suspected of having fired an LBD 40 shot which hit Olivier Beziade in the head. The victim of a brain hemorrhage, Mr. Beziade, 47, father of three, remained in a coma for a few days. Today it still has serious consequences. The scene was filmed and broadcast on social media and the National Police General Inspectorate (IGPN) was quickly seized by the prefecture and the prosecution.
The police officer, still on duty, “Is extremely affected by the consequences of this shooting”, said his lawyer. “He never wanted to hurt. He recognizes his shooting and his responsibility but he does not understand how he could have hit the head. He was aiming at the chest ”. That man, “Trained and empowered” when handling the LBD, is a “Exemplary official, remarkably noted”, added Me Liénard. “He is clearly not a cowboy, not a violent man”. According to the lawyer, it is necessary to carry out ballistic examinations to see if the head shot was not due to a “Hardware failure”, weapon or ammunition.
Bordeaux was for several months a major center of contestation for the movement of yellow vests and degradations and violence took place there regularly on Saturdays of demonstration during the winter.
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