Daughter: Still wondering why French police killed dad
By Zhang Rui
A daughter of a Chinese man shot dead by French police said at a press conference on Wednesday in Paris that her whole family is still in shock, sadness and confusion on why the cop opened fire on a loving father.
A man holds a Chinese flag during a protest in front of the police headquarters in the 19th arrondissement of Paris on March 28, 2017, following the death of a Chinese national during a police intervention on March 26. [Photo/VCG]
The adult daughter of 56-year-old Liu Shaoyao said they can never imagine something like this happening to them. "That day is a normal Sunday, and we, his children, are preparing for school the next day. I was preparing for my own graduate courses," she said at the press conference, while remaining anonymous.
"Our life was turned upside down on that night, and we can't go back to normal life anymore. We still don't know why the policemen had to kill my father. In our eyes, our father loved us very much and he was so loving. He cooked for us, tidied our rooms, but now we can never see him again," she remembered her father, trembling with tears.
She told reporters what happened that night from her own perspective. When the cops came at their door in the 19th arrondissement of Paris on Sunday night, her father was cooking dinner and she just heard a loud knocking.
"I was in my bedroom. Then I heard they began to bang on our door and then we heard someone we didn't know outside the door. By that time I was stricken with panic. My father was really trying to hold back the door and then the door opened all of a sudden. A shot was fired. All of this happened in just a few seconds. My father was already on the ground. It was just impossible for him to have any chance to attack the policemen," she said.
The daughter said she confronted the three policemen when she arrived at the scene, but they didn't talk to her and didn't reveal their police identities to her either. "There was a pair of scissors in my father's right hand, which was not intended for harming the cops. It was for cooking, and there was a cut-open fish in the kitchen."
But according to previous reports, police said Liu tried to attack an officer with the scissors and a member of the police team fired in response. They also said they were called to the building after receiving a call about a man armed with a knife, and burst into the home of Liu after hearing screams inside.
But the daughter
denied there was screaming and didn't know who called the police, "Sometimes we speak loudly, someone may call the police because of the noise. But it should not be seen as a 'domestic dispute'."
Four of Liu's five children were in the apartment at the time, and the daughter said they were kept for two hours in the apartment for "protection" but away from their father's body.
Calvin Job, a lawyer for the family, said Liu "was not, as some media outlets suggested, someone undergoing psychiatric treatment, and he wasn't an alcoholic; there was no history of family violence."
"There was nothing to hide. He did throw a TV set out of the window because his children were obsessed with TV programs in 2012, that's why he got arrested for several days and had a record," the attorney explained, "But the police soon realized he was just a normal man with a temper. Nothing happened after 2012, he can't have psychiatric problems."
François Ormillien, another lawyer for the Liu family, said the investigation is underway. Now the incident triggers two investigations: one from the Paris prosecution of a supposed attempted homicide directed against a police officer, and the second from the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), on the use of a firearm by a police officer. IGPN has already had hearings with the deceased's family on Tuesday while a prosecutor will meet the family soon. An investigative report will come out in weeks.
The lawyer said the family will file lawsuits on their own based on their knowledge and evidence if the case ends up being defined as policemen's act of "self-defense." "Liu has no judicial record and no violent history, so it confused us that the policemen's behavior in the incident: They were not dealing with a violent habitual offender by just breaking down the door and firing a shot."
But Ormillien appealed for calm in the various parties on behalf of Liu's family, "We want the answer now but we are not spokesmen for Asian immigrants in France. The victim’s family should be protected, instead of being pushed forward in media controversy or political movements."
Hundreds of Chinese and Asian protesters gathered for three consecutive nights since Monday to demand justice from French authorities. But every night turned into riots at the end of the vigils as policemen and some protesters clashed.
Paris police Chief Michel Cadot said on Tuesday that the three policemen involved in the shooting had been suspended for further investigation and the local Chinese community will be allowed to hold legal memorial activities.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry called on the French government to ascertain the truth as quickly as possible and to effectively protect the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens residing in France.
People gather during a protest in front of the police headquarters in the 19th arrondissement of Paris on March 28, 2017, following the death of a Chinese national during a police intervention on March 26. [Photo/VCG]
