Fthiotida: 57-year-old arrested over shots fired in village

Police in Fthiotida have arrested a 57-year-old man for dangerous discharge of firearms and damage to property. According to the news outlet NewsIT, the first shots were heard at around 22:30 on Monday 17 August near the square of the village of Palaia Giannitsou, in the Municipality of Makrakomi, and were repeated about one to one and a half hours after midnight. The community president, Giannis Deligiannis, was alerted and found at the spot a 57-year-old man, who is not a permanent resident of the village, next to broken street lights. The man is alleged to have been shooting at the lamps or into the air and refused to comply.

Residents alerted the police and forces from the Crime Prevention and Suppression Team and the Sperchiada Police Station rushed to the scene, but the man had already left. He was located in the early morning hours and arrested. During a search carried out at his home, in the presence of a judicial officer as required, a pistol, cartridges and narcotic substances were found and seized. A criminal case file was opened and the 57-year-old is expected to be brought before the competent prosecutor in Lamia. The arrested man is considered innocent until judged by the courts. The presence of a judicial officer during a search of a home is mandatory and ensures the legality of the findings, so that they can be used as evidence.

Dangerous discharge of firearms in a residential area is punishable under the Penal Code regardless of whether injury is caused, since the act itself creates a risk to life and physical integrity. Bullets fired into the air travel long distances and return to the ground at a speed capable of causing fatal injury, something that has been recorded repeatedly in incidents of celebratory gunfire in Greece. At the same time, possession of a weapon without a licence is a separate offence carrying heavy penalties. Greece has from time to time recorded fatal incidents from stray bullets at celebrations and festivals, which led to a tightening of the legal framework.

Palaia Giannitsou is a small settlement in western Fthiotida, with a limited permanent population that increases during the summer months. In such communities, where the nearest police force may be several kilometres away, the role of local authorities in the initial handling of an incident is essential. The extent of the damage to the community’s street lights has not been announced, nor whether the municipality will take civil action against the accused. Nor has the type and quantity of the narcotic substances seized been made known, a factor that determines how the relevant charge is classified. The Municipality of Makrakomi extends across western Fthiotida and includes many mountainous and semi-mountainous settlements with small populations. The police did not release identifying details of the arrested man.