Commissioner Grégoire Chassaing released

Commissioner Grégoire Chassaing, the only person prosecuted for the death of Steve Maia Caniço, who drowned in the Loire following a police intervention during the Nantes Music Festival in 2019, was acquitted on Friday 20 September.

On June 14, the last day of his trial for murder before the Rennes criminal court, the prosecution requested the unequivocal conviction of the 54-year-old police officer. It is the “who led the class action, which created the situation that ultimately resulted in Steve’s death”24-year-old extracurricular activities leader, said prosecutor Philippe Astruc. He then simply asked “a sentence of principle”without establishing a quantum.

The prosecutor found mitigating circumstances in the case of the police officer in charge of security at the scene: police officers under his command fired a dozen tear gas grenades on their own initiative in response to the projectiles. “teufeurs” refusing to let the music from the sound systems stop at the agreed time, 4 a.m.

Called to testify, police officers assured that they had acted “in self-defense”without any instructions being necessary, recalling the tensions created at the time by the “yellow vest” movement. A mass movement followed, causing five people to fall into the Loire, including Steve Maia Caniço, who did not know how to swim and, according to his relatives, had a phobia of water since he was a child.

Prosecutor Astruc deplored the fact that Commissioner Chassaing was the only one in the dock for Steve’s drowning. “which was not the option defended by the prosecutor”Several personalities were made witnesses or defendants during the investigation, including the then prefect and mayor of Nantes, before benefiting from the dismissal of the case.

“I haven’t mastered everything”

The defence of the 54-year-old commissioner, now head of the Lyon district, had requested the release, M^my Louis Cailriez asking the three judges not to “adds injustice to everything that happened that night”the night of June 21-22, 2019.

According to his lawyers, Mr. Chassaing did not commit the offences alleged by the prosecution: “never” He showed no desire to fight with the DJ who had turned the sound back on despite his requests. “He cannot prevent the individual reaction of his men” who fired tear gas grenades in reaction to the projectiles, M estimated.^my Luis Cailliez. “I haven’t mastered everything”The official admitted during the trial, but “Who would have been innocent under such conditions?”.

Steve’s family lawyers pointed out their side “a succession of failures of foresight, imprudences, failures of anticipation [qui] led to this tragedy”believing that the police were “in a certain way” abandoned to their fate that night.

The inquest determined that Steve’s fall had occurred at an ungated part of the platform at 4:33 and 14 seconds, two minutes after police first fired grenades. Caught in a thick cloud of tear gas smoke, several revellers fell 5 to 6 metres into the 21°C water. Some had been recovered by a specially designed overnight rescue boat.

But Steve Maia Caniço was unable to reach the platform. Despite the searches, Steve’s body did not reappear until a month later, discovered by the pilot of a river shuttle.