Athens, Rioting after teenager shot by police

Rioting broke out in Athens and other Greek cities in the early hours of Sunday, after news began to spread of a teenager's death at the hands of police in the Athens district of Exarhia the previous night. The 15-year-old boy was shot in the chest and died of his injuries shortly after being taken to hospital. The incident occurred shortly after 9:00 on Saturday night when a police patrol car responding to a call in the Exarhia district was surrounded by a gang of 30 youths belonging to leftist, anti-establishment groups that started throwing stones and bits of wood.

The two special guards in the patrol decided to pursue the youths and, in the ensuing fracas, one of them fired his service revolver to disperse them, injuring the 15-year-old highschool student. The officer who fired claims he shot twice in the air and once at the ground and that the bullet that injured the boy must have ricocheted.

The two officers have been placed under arrest, while Deputy Interior Minister for public order issues, Panagiotis Hinofotis, immediately initiated action to place the pair on suspension, as well as their supervisor at the Exarhia police station. Police headquarters said that an investigation was underway to determine whether the events had occurred in the way described by the two officers, while an autopsy has been order to confirm their claim that they did not shoot directly at the victim.