At a trial in Versailles on Friday, former BAC police officer Gilles Guilbert was sentenced to 10 years in prison for fatally shooting Olivio Gomes in Poissy in 2020. The officer had followed the driver for about twenty kilometers without a justifiable reason. The claim of self-defense was not accepted.
During the night of October 16-17, 2020, Guilbert and two BAC colleagues followed Gomes’ Clio on the Parisian ring road and then on the A13. After a discreet and poorly motivated pursuit of about twenty kilometers, the officers claimed to have ordered the victim to stop, leading to a confrontation at Gomes’ residence.
Guilbert then aimed his weapon at Gomes, who began to drive away. The officer fired three shots, with the second being fatal, hitting the victim’s lungs and thoracic aorta, causing his death at the scene.
The defense of self-defense was not upheld, as the conditions were not met according to the facts. Guilbert was also banned from holding any public office and being elected for 10 years. Additionally, he was prohibited from owning a weapon for 15 years. Guilbert’s lawyer immediately announced his intention to appeal the verdict.
“This case is a stark example of police violence,” said one of the victim’s family’s lawyers during the trial. “I am certain that if Olivio Gomes was not Black, he would not have died,” he added.
