A 20-year-old man who was critically wounded when police opened fire during a vehicle pursuit in the southern city of Argos last week has died from his injuries, days after two police officers were remanded in custody pending trial on charges of attempted homicide with possible intent.
The officers, members of the Greek Police’s crime prevention and suppression unit, were ordered held in pretrial detention by an investigating magistrate and prosecutor following lengthy testimony.
They have denied intending to kill the driver, maintaining that they fired warning shots to force him to stop after he allegedly attempted to ram police officers and patrol vehicles during a pursuit that lasted about 35 minutes. According to their testimony, they never deliberately aimed at the suspect.
According to television news reports, surveillance video from the incident shows the pursuit ending after the 20-year-old abandoned his vehicle and attempted to flee on foot by climbing over a wall near an abandoned building. The reports said officers opened fire, with at least one bullet striking him above the neck. Television footage also suggested more shots may have been fired than the 13 shell casings recovered at the scene, although those details have not been officially confirmed by authorities.
The man’s mother told MEGA TV that her son had autism spectrum disorder and an 89% disability rating, and said he fled because he realized he had forgotten his driver’s license at home and panicked. She also said he had gone out late at night after returning from the beach.
According to other reports, the shooting occurred after officers attempted to stop the driver for a routine check at the Pyrgela intersection area outside Argos.
A replica air pistol was recovered near the scene and sent for forensic examination. Ballistics experts have been examining the trajectory of the bullets, firing distance and whether the fatal shot was fired directly or resulted from a ricochet, evidence expected to play a central role in the criminal investigation.
