The French government has called for calm after dozens of youths clashed with authorities and torched property and cars in France's western city of Nantes, following the death of a 22-year-old man who was shot by police during a vehicle stop.

About 200 police and soldiers were guarding public buildings on Wednesday after a shopping centre was set ablaze in Breil, a mainly immigrant area of housing estates. Bus shelters and several vehicles were wrecked.

"I'm appealing for absolute calm, as the rule of law will be completely respected," Nicole Belloubet, the French justice minister, told RTL radio on Wednesday.

As news of the 8.30pm shooting spread on Tuesday night, angry youths also took to the streets in neighbouring areas. Some carried bottles filled with petrol.

The dead man was named locally as Aboubacar Fofana, from the Paris suburb of Garges-lès-Gonesse.

He was accused of theft and his car was listed as a vehicle suspected of being used for drug dealing, according to a police report seen by Le Parisien newspaper. The report confirmed that an arrest warrant had been issued for him.