Police Shooting of 23-Year-Old Amine Leknoun Raises Questions in Northern France

The alleged self-defense of the police officer, claiming to have been threatened by Amine’s fleeing vehicle, was later weakened by the first elements of the medico-ballistic investigation. "A whole family is destroyed," Zineb laments to Libération, evoking the depth of the bond that united her children.

Amine, who had grown up in La Potennerie, a working-class neighborhood in Roubaix, in northern France, had dropped out of school early to look for work, according to his brother Mohamed. The young man’s criminal record included several cases of theft and drugs, but his sister Loubna emphasizes the change in behavior after his 18th birthday. At the time of his death, she was giving birth to her first child, a joy marred by the family tragedy.

The Leknoun family is devastated by the lack of empathy and attention from the institutions following this tragedy. Neither the Roubaix town hall, nor the prosecutor’s office and local police officials have contacted them. "The investigating judge also refused to see us and give us access to the investigation. She said she feared reprisals against the police officer," Loubna recounts. After more than six months, the family finally obtained a hearing in March 2023. Zineb is now waiting to face agent Amaury D., indicted for "voluntary violence resulting in death without intent to kill."

Amine was buried in Oujda, Morocco, the hometown of his father, a choice that was difficult for the family, who would have preferred to keep him near them in Roubaix. Zineb, for her part, admits to conversing with Amine "as if he were there." The pain also persists for Loubna, who confesses to being haunted by the fear of police checks: "I always imagine the same scene now: police officers arriving in a car behind me when I’m coming home from work late at night, coming to check me and shooting me."