A total of eight police officers were struck by
gunfire during a deadly shootout with three or four assault-rifle wielding perpetrators Tuesday afternoon in the working-class district of Renti, near the port of the Piraeus.Two motorcycle policemen were fatally shot in the incident, one dying at the scene and the other roughly three hours later at a local hospital. The fallen officers were identified as Georgios Skylogiannis, 22, who joined the force in 2009 and special police guard Ioannis Evangelinelis, 23, who joined in 2008. Another policeman is in serious but stable condition after sustaining a gunshot wound in the abdomen, while a fourth was shot in the knee.(ΑΝΑ-ΜPA)
The violent incident occurred during a police chase and after the vehicle driven by the gunmen, a Volvo SUV, was identified as sporting stolen license plates. The vehicle itself, later found abandoned with two assault rifles and a handgun inside, was also stolen from a private residence in northern Athens that was also burglarised.
Another four motorcycle officers were hit by gunfire but emerged unscathed thanks to the bullet-proof vests and helmets they were wearing. The assault rifles were identified as the AK-47 type, i.e. "Kalashnikovs".
The incident comes a week after police intercepted a getaway car on a south-central highway carrying five armed suspects, all Albanian nationals, suspected of robbing a handful of banks and post offices in the Fthiotida prefecture in the course of several days. One suspect was killed during the incident while the others were arrested.
Condolences by political leadership
In a statement immediately after the announcement that the two young police officers had died in the line of duty, President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias issued the following announcement:
"I want to express my sincerest condolences over the death of these two young police officers, who fell in the line of duty. I am certain that Greek society was shocked by the fact that these two young men were killed in their attempt to protect law and order and social peace. We are living in rough times; crime is becoming more and more violent and acquiring ever more abhorrent forms … Again, allow me to express my solidarity and support to the relatives of the victims."
Government spokesman Giorgos Petalotis also issued a statement on behalf of PM George Papandreou and the entire government, where he also expresses his stern condemnation for the "cowardly attack on the police officers in Renti".
"To the families of the victims, we would like to express our condolences, and to the injured, our best wishes for a speedy recovery,” Petalotis said, while citing a certainty that the criminals will soon be arrested and punished.
