The copy is said to be ‘devastated’ and has begged for the forgiveness of Nahel’s family (Picture: Rex/Getty Images)

A police officer who fatally shot a teenager – an act which sparked a wave of protests across France – claims he had aimed at the boy’s leg.

Protesters erected barricades, lit fires and shot fireworks in streets across the country yesterday – for the third night in a row.

Tensions have mounted over the deadly police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel which has shocked the nation.

The lawyer for the officer who pulled the trigger, who has not been named, appeared on French channel BFMTV to discuss the case.

Laurent-Franck Lienard said the officer had aimed at the teenager’s leg but been ‘bumped’ leading to the fatal shooting.

The lawyer said: ‘He had to be stopped, but obviously [the officer] didn’t want to kill the driver.’

He added his client was ‘devastated’ and has begged for the forgiveness of Nahel’s family.

Mr Lienard added: ‘He doesn’t get up in the morning to kill people. He didn’t want to kill.

‘Today he is obliged to defend himself. Because he is the one who is in detention and who sleeps in prison.

The mother of killed 17-year-old Nahel shouts “Justice for Nahel” prior to a march (Picture: AP)

Firefighters douse the flames of a building set on fire during protests in Roubaix, northern France(Picture: Getty Images)

‘When he did it, he felt it was necessary.’

Armoured police vehicles rammed through the charred remains of cars that had been flipped and set ablaze in the northwestern Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the police officer shot Nahel earlier this week.

On the other side of the French capital, protesters lit a fire at the city hall of the suburb of Clichy-Sous-Bois.

In the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, police sought to disperse violent groups in the city centre, regional authorities said.

Tens of thousands of police officers have been deployed to quell the protests, which have gripped the country three nights in a row.

The police officer accused of pulling the trigger on Tuesday was handed a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide after prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude ‘the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met’.

Nahel M was killed in a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre during a traffic stop

Demonstrators clash with police after they gather to protest (Picture: Getty Images)

Tensions started to rise in Nanterre following a peaceful march on Thursday afternoon in honour of Nahel, with smoke billowing from cars and garbage bins set ablaze despite government appeals for calm and vows that order would be restored.

Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the number of officers in the streets would reach 40,000, with 5,000 deployed in the Paris region alone.

‘The professionals of disorder must go home,’ Mr Darmanin said.

While there’s no need yet to declare a state of emergency – a measure taken to quell weeks of rioting in 2005 – he added: ‘The state’s response will be extremely firm.’

Bus and tram services in the Paris area shut down before sunset as a precaution to safeguard transportation workers and passengers.

The town of Clamart, home to 54,000 people in the French capital’s southwest suburbs, said it was taking the extraordinary step of imposing an overnight curfew through Monday, citing ‘the risk of new public order disturbances’.

Police clear a street on the third night of protestsin Nanterre (Picture: AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Riot police have been deployed to bring calm to the streets of Paris (Picture: AP)

The mayor of Neuilly-sur-Marne announced a similar curfew in that town in the eastern suburbs.

The unrest extended even to Brussels, the EU administrative home and Belgian capital city, where about a dozen people were detained during scuffles related to the shooting in France.

Mr Prache, the Nanterre prosecutor, said officers tried to stop Nahel because he looked so young and was driving a Mercedes with Polish license plates in a bus lane.

He allegedly ran a red light to avoid being stopped then got stuck in traffic. Both officers involved said they drew their guns to prevent him from fleeing.

The officer who fired a single shot said he feared he and his colleague or someone else could be hit by the car, according to Mr Prache.

Protests have taken place in various cities across the country (Picture: Metro Graphics)

The officers said they felt ‘threatened’ as the car drove off.

He said two magistrates are leading the investigation, as is common in France. Preliminary charges mean investigating judges strongly suspect wrongdoing but need to investigate more before sending the case to trial.

French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency security meeting on Thursday about the violence.

‘These acts are totally unjustifiable,” Mr Macron said at the beginning of the meeting, which aimed at securing hot spots and planning for the coming days ‘so full peace can return’.

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The copy is said to be ‘devastated’ and has begged for the forgiveness of Nahel’s family.