Man arrested in Peloponnese for fatal shooting of 18-year-old

Police in Messinia, in the southwestern Peloponnese, have arrested a 63-year-old man in connection with the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old suspected burglar the previous day.

According to investigators, the 63-year-old shot the 18-year-old with a hunting rifle after the victim and another two teenagers tried to break into his home in the village of Piperitsa. The other two teenagers have also been arrested, police said on Tuesday.

The incident has sparked fears of reprisals, after members of the 18-year-old’s family – who belong to a Roma community with a camp in the area of Messini – gathered outside the Kalamata hospital where his death was confirmed on Monday, demanding justice.

Riot police also had to be dispatched overnight to the Roma camp after several residents went on a rampage in the streets of Messini, smashing cars and damaging public property.