Initial news reports, based on what were described as anonymous police sources, had suggested that the driver plowed into two officers with his car on Tuesday during the stop in Nanterre, west of the capital.
But an unconfirmed video of the shooting that appeared later led to accusations that the police had acted too aggressively, and prosecutors in Nanterre have opened a manslaughter investigation.
The video, believed to have been filmed by a witness, spread quickly on social networks and was picked up by the French news media.
It shows two helmeted police officers on the left side of a yellow car that is stopped on the street.
One of the officers leans onto the windshield and points what appears to be a firearm at the driver, and as the car starts moving away, a loud bang is audible.
Organizations:
The New York Times
Locations:
France, Paris, Nanterre