The case of a jeweller who shot a fleeing thief in the back has unleashed a vivid debate in the French Riviera city of Nice and around the country, with President François Hollande being asked to weigh in on the controversy, reports FRANCE 24.
Stephan Turk, 67, has been charged with murder by public prosecutors after he shot dead a youth with an unlicensed semi-automatic pistol on September 11. The 18-year-old thief was fleeing the scene on the back of a scooter with stolen gems when the shopkeeper opened fire.
A second thief who was driving the getaway bike got away.
Turk has been put on house arrest with an ankle-bracelet monitor, following wide outcry for his release from prison. But while he awaits trial, support for the jeweller has grown massively among web users and fellow shopkeepers.
While some commentators warned of a dangerous threat of vigilantism, others said the jeweller had acted in self-defence and applauded a “bold” move against a wave of Riviera robberies that authorities have appeared powerless to counter.
A Facebook page in support of Turk ballooned over the weekend, earning more than 1.5 million “likes”. That figure grew so quickly that it was called into question by some social network experts.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.