Teenager struck by tear gas grenade

Maïssa, a 17-year-old first-year student in applied foreign languages, was struck in the left eye by a projectile fired by law enforcement during a demonstration in Mulhouse on October 17. Despite an emergency surgical operation, she permanently lost the sight in that eye.

Legal action filed against authorities

Maïssa's lawyer, Pierre Brunisso, filed a complaint against X with the prosecutor of the Republic in Mulhouse on October 28 on behalf of Maïssa's mother, as the girl is a minor. The complaint alleges "voluntary violence resulting in a permanent disfigurement or disability, with the circumstances that they were committed by a person holding public authority in the performance of their duties and with the use of a weapon."

Witness account details incident

According to the complaint, Maïssa and her friends were in a "perfectly calm area" when they were caught in a crowd movement as tear gas grenades were fired at shoulder height by law enforcement. A direct witness mentioned in the complaint stated that the officials were 50 or 80 meters away and were firing at shoulder height, not in a curved trajectory.

Projectile identified and its implications

The projectile that struck Maïssa's face was described as a tear gas grenade. According to the complaint, a direct witness saw the gray bullet hit the girl's eye and noted that tear gas came out when it hit the ground. The lawyer emphasized that the projectile was fired as an "aimed shot," which is prohibited.

Context of the incident

The complaint also states that Maïssa was not participating in the demonstration. She was merely trying to retrieve her bicycle after having eaten with her friends in a restaurant in the city center. The atmosphere was described as festive, similar to scenes at music festivals, with people "happy" and "doing nothing wrong."

Additional legal measures taken

In addition to filing the complaint with the prosecutor, the lawyer also filed a complaint with the Defender of Rights to ensure there are no omissions in the investigation. Nicolas Heitz, the prosecutor of Mulhouse, confirmed that the court has received the complaint, which will be added to the file being investigated under the regime of flagrancy by the IGPN in Metz.