The two police officers involved in the shooting of a 20-year-old man during a police chase in Argos will appear before the investigating magistrate of Nafplio on Friday, after being granted a 48-hour extension to prepare their defence. Both were arrested at the scene and have been charged with attempted homicide committed with possible intent while in a “calm psychological state” — a legal classification under Greek law addressing an intentional act carried out without provocation or emotional disturbance.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, 7 July, when officers from OPKE (the Greek police’s Crime Prevention and Suppression Unit) attempted to carry out a routine check on a vehicle near the village of Pyrgella, on the outskirts of Argos.

According to the police account, the driver – a 20-year-old man driving a car belonging to his mother – ignored signals to stop, attempted to ram both patrol cars and officers on foot, and sped off. What followed was a car chase lasting roughly 35 minutes before officers managed to box in the vehicle near a shopping centre at the entrance to Argos.

The young man then abandoned the car and fled on foot, attempting to climb a perimeter wall. Two officers opened fire, striking him in the head. He was rushed first to Argos Hospital, then transferred to the emergency department of Thriasio Hospital, where doctors carried out emergency neurosurgery but were unable to remove the bullet from his head. He was later transferred to the intensive care unit at KAT Hospital in Athens, where he remains in extremely critical condition, intubated.

Officers claim warning shots; evidence raises questions

The two officers maintain that they fired from a position where they had no direct visual contact with the fleeing man, and that the shots were warning shots intended to intimidate and immobilise him rather than aimed directly at him.

However, investigators have recovered 13 shell casings from the scene, pointing to sustained gunfire rather than isolated warning shots. Footage from the Orange Press Agency reportedly shows multiple bullet impact marks on the perimeter wall the young man tried to climb, at varying heights — including at knee height, chest height and head height — raising questions about the officers’ account.

A ballistics examination, still pending, is expected to determine the trajectory and distance of the shots, and whether the bullet that struck the young man was a direct hit or a ricochet. Investigators are also examining whether the officers’ use of their service weapons met the legal threshold required, and whether the young man posed any actual threat at the time he was shot; so far, no evidence has emerged indicating that he did.

A replica air pistol was found inside the car and has been seized as part of the investigation. Separately, a sworn administrative inquiry (known by its Greek acronym EDE) has been opened in parallel with the criminal investigation to examine the officers’ conduct.

Family says he is autistic and has a disability certification

The young man’s mother told MEGA TV that her son is autistic, holds an 89% disability certification, and has difficulty reading, writing and communicating verbally, though she said he was highly capable in practical and mechanical tasks, including car repair. She said he held a valid driving licence and had passed his driving tests, but had left the licence at home that night, which she believes may have caused him to panic when officers signalled him to stop. According to her account, he had gone out without permission to cool off after an unusually warm night, contrary to her usual rule that he not leave the house unaccompanied.

She described her son as being sustained by life support and said he had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head, with several bullet fragments remaining lodged in his brain following surgery.