Roma teenager shot by police in Greece’s Thessaloniki dies

The 16-year-old boy’s capturing final week led to days of protests in Thessaloniki, Athens and different elements of Greece.

A girl reacts as she holds a photograph of a 16-year-old boy shot by the police whereas kin and others from the Roma neighborhood protest outdoors the courthouse in Thessaloniki [File: Giannis Papanikos/AP]

A teenage boy from Greece’s Roma neighborhood who was shot within the head throughout a police chase over an allegedly unpaid petrol station invoice has died, in response to members of the Roma neighborhood and the hospital that was treating him.

The 16-year-old had been hospitalised for greater than every week within the northern metropolis of Thessaloniki after he was shot within the early hours of December 5 by a police officer on a bike.

Officers had been chasing the boy after he allegedly crammed up his pick-up truck at a petroleum station and left with out paying the 20-euro ($21) invoice.

The capturing led to days of usually violent protests in Thessaloniki, Athens and different elements of Greece by members of the Roma neighborhood, regardless of pleas by neighborhood officers and a few members of the boy’s household to take care of calm.

“Everybody right here is crying. It's unjust for a kid to depart like this,” mentioned Antonis Tasios, secretary of the Roma neighborhood the place the boy lived, confirming his dying on Tuesday. “We now have nice ache.”

The hospital treating the boy, who has not been formally recognized, mentioned he was hospitalised in vital situation within the intensive care unit after present process emergency surgical procedure, however that regardless of all efforts by medical employees, he died on Tuesday morning.

Racist motives

The Roma neighborhood has denounced the capturing as having racist motives.

A number of Roma males had been injured or fatally shot in recent times whereas allegedly in search of to evade arrest for breaches of the legislation.

Members of the Roma neighborhood in Greece have lengthy confronted discrimination, and plenty of stay on the margins of society.

The 34-year-old police officer accused of firing the shot has been suspended and underneath home arrest since Friday pending a courtroom determination on whether or not to remand him into custody earlier than trial in a felony rely of tried manslaughter with attainable intent and a misdemeanour rely of illegally firing his weapon.

Police have mentioned the teenager tried to ram the police bikes concerned within the chase together with his pick-up truck.

The officer mentioned throughout an preliminary courtroom look final week that he had fired his weapon as a result of he feared for the lives of his colleagues.

Residents’ Safety Minister Takis Theodorikakos, who has jurisdiction over Greek police, tweeted his “deep sorrow for the dying of the 16-year-old boy” and prolonged his condolences to the teenager’s household.

“I repeat that this case is being investigated by the judicial system, which is the one one competent to evaluate the details and choose duties,” the minister wrote. “Allow us to all respect that.”