Police defend handling of lead-up to fatal shooting on Crete

The constabulary connected Thursday defended its effect to complaints of repeated threats and attacks against a Cretan youth successful the lead-up to his fatal shooting by a antheral who blamed him for the traffic decease of his teenage son.

Police spokeswoman Constantia Dimoglidou said that each clip officers had responded to the ailment and arrested the suspect, whom judicial authorities then released.

The 54-year-old antheral allegedly ambushed the 21-year-old victim successful his αυτοκίνητο and changeable him dormant Tuesday connected a roadworthy adjacent Iraklio successful cardinal Crete, earlier surrendering to the police. His wife, who was allegedly contiguous astatine the attack, was besides charged implicit the killing.

According to his lawyer, the suspect blamed the victim for the decease of his son, who had been a rider successful the victim’s αυτοκίνητο when it crashed into a lamp-post successful 2023 severely injuring some youths. The 17-year-old died aft 19 days successful hospital, while the operator recovered.

But the dormant youth’s begetter allegedly harassed, threatened and astatine slightest erstwhile tried to termination the operator earlier Tuesday’s shooting.

Dimoglidou told state ERT television that each clip the constabulary did their job.

“Every clip the victim contacted the constabulary helium had our contiguous support,” she said. “In 2024 helium was attacked … and the suspect was arrested. No clip astatine each was wasted, helium was brought earlier the authoritative and a shotgun for which helium had a morganatic licence was confiscated. Unfortunately, helium was then acceptable free.”

Dimoglidou said the victim again contacted the constabulary when his dormant friend’s begetter broke a regularisation bid banning him from approaching the youth.

“The suspect was again arrested … and the prosecutor’s bureau that had imposed the regularisation bid was informed that helium had breached it,” she said. 

“But helium was again acceptable escaped pursuing the prosecutor’s verbal instructions. He was ne'er adjacent brought earlier the prosecutor, adjacent though helium was successful constabulary detention, and the effect was that we came to this constituent where the constabulary was alerted aft [the youth] had been murdered.”

Dimoglidou added that constabulary had nary crushed to judge that the execution victim had been liable for the decease of his person successful the 2023 αυτοκίνητο crash.

The 54-year-old shooting suspect was charged Wednesday with execution committed successful a calm framework of caput and firearms violations. The victim’s ceremonial was acceptable for Thursday.