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STORY: Riots are spreading across France

after police shot dead a teenager of North African descent at a traffic stop outside Paris.

Let's take a look at the controversial powers given to the French police.

The 17-year-old who died has been identified only as Nahel.

Prosecutors say he failed to comply with an order to stop his car.

A video on social media, verified by Reuters, shows a police officer firing a shot as the driver pulls away.

That officer is currently under investigation for voluntary homicide.

Nahel died from a single shot through his left arm and chest.

The use of lethal force against the teenager who was of North African origin has ignited anger

over police tactics in ethnically diverse neighborhoods.

So how common is it for French police to use firearms during traffic stops?

The Highway Code says that a driver can be stopped by police to have his driving documents checked

at any time without any visible violation of the law.

Since 2017, French law has allowed police to use their firearms in five different scenarios,

including "when they are unable to stop a vehicle whose driver has ignored an order to stop

and whose occupants are likely to pose a risk to their life or physical safety, or to other people's."

Rights groups have criticized the 2017 law, saying it dangerously broadened

the legal framework for when an officer can use their firearm.

The recent lethal shooting was the third of its kind in 2023.

That's down from a record 13 people who were killed after not complying with a traffic stop in 2022, a police spokesperson said.

A Reuters tally shows the majority of victims since 2017 were Black or of Arab origin.