Protesters clash with officers over shooting of teen

Riots erupted on Mesogeion Avenue on Wednesday during a protest by a group of Roma over the shooting of a 17-year-old boy in Viotia, central Greece, by police.

Protesters lit fires and hurled objects at police, while traffic was stopped on the road leading to central Athens.

The officer who shot and killed the Roma boy on Saturday night was criminally prosecuted for manslaughter with intent on Monday. The 41-year-old sergeant is to testify before a prosecutor in Thiva on Thursday.

According to reports, the police wanted to search the car he was in along with three other passengers, deeming that it was suspicious. A car chase ensued before it was surrounded by police in a dead-end alley in the village of Liontari.

The defendant claims that the young man tried to take his gun, which then went off causing his death.