Uproar As French Jeweler Kills Thief, Is Charged

PARIS (AP) — Outrage is growing in France after justice officials decided to bring a voluntary homicide charge against a jeweler who shot and killed an escaping robber.

Interior Minister Manuel Valls was in the southern city of Nice on Tuesday to reassure jewelers that the government still supports them. His visit came a day after hundreds gathered in a city square to support Stephan Turk, the 67-year-old jeweler who is confined to his home with an electronic bracelet after the shooting last week.

The sister of the 19-year-old who was killed says Turk shot him in the back and deserves prison.

Gun violence is relatively rare in France but jewel thefts are on the rise. A single gunman in southern France this summer made off with a $136 million cache.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.