French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the death of a 27-year-old man who was hit by a shell during Saturday’s riots, Marseille prosecutors said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Riots broke out across France after the funeral of a North African teenager whose shooting by police during a traffic stop sparked days of nationwide violence.

Prosecutors said the probable cause of the Marseille youth’s death was a strong shock to the chest from a “flashbullet” (LBD) projectile similar to that used by police, but did not say who fired the gun or who owned it. The impact caused cardiac arrest and sudden death.

The man died on the night of July 1-2, when Marseille was gripped by riots, but prosecutors said it was impossible to determine where the man was when he was hit or whether the victim was involved in the riots.

The most violent riots on Saturday were in Marseille, where police fired tear gas and fought street battles with youth in the city center until late at night.

Flash-ball guns are designed as non-lethal anti-riot weapons that do not penetrate the skin, but their use by police in France has been contested because the projectiles cause eye damage, head injuries and other injuries.

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