At the end of July, a brazen robbery resulted in a record-breaking 100 million euros worth of gems hauled out in broad daylight. Like other recent tales of thievery in the region, the robbers escaped the scene, reports RFI.
But a robbery last week in the centre of Nice took an unexpected turn after the jeweller fatally shot an 18-year-old who had held him at gunpoint.
The incident, which has left jeweller Stéphan Turk, 67, under house arrest at an undisclosed location, has sparked a debate in France on what constitutes self-defence or murder.
Turk shot the teenager as he was trying to make his getaway on a scooter with an accomplice and a bag of stolen gems.
The two robbers punched and kicked Turk as they held him at gun to open his safe, according to France’s news agency AFP.
Turk’s supporters – including one million social media users that have liked a Facebook page in support of him as of Saturday -- posit that this should be used as evidence in judging his decision to go after the robbers and fire three shots at them as they raced away.
Read more of this report from RFI.