Argos: Two police officers charged with attempted murder after shooting 20-year-old

In Argos two ΟΠΚΕ employees face serious charges after a police chasewhich ended with shooting and critically wounding the 20-year-old driver.

According to News247regarding two policemen criminal prosecution has been initiated for attempted murder with possible intent in a calm mental state. They received a deadline to testify from the investigator and prosecutor of Nafplion on Friday, July 10, 2026.

Initially, according to the official message ΕΛ.ΑΣa charge was formed against the police for violating weapons laws and grievous bodily harm. As the investigation progressed, the charges became much more serious. If the victim dies, the classification may be changed to murder.

What the police say

According to ΕΛ.ΑΣ, it all started in the early morning of July 8, when ΟΠΚΕ Argolida employees tried to check a car in the Άργος area. The driver, according to police, did not obey stop signals, increased speed, tried to avoid inspection and, according to law enforcement officers, tried to ram police and official vehicles.

A chase followed. The official report states that the car was blocked by patrol cars, after which the driver abandoned the car and tried to escape on foot by climbing over a wall. At that moment, two police officers used their service weapons, as a result of which the young man was seriously wounded. ΕΚΑΒ was called to the scene, the victim was first taken to the hospital and then transferred to the Attica medical facility. Details of the official version are given in.gr.

Police also said that along the escape route, near the site of the initial attempted stop, an air gun was found and seized and will be sent for examination.

The main question is where did they shoot?

The most difficult part of the case relates to the nature of the shooting. According to Greek media, they found 13 shellsand on the wall of the abandoned building where the 20-year-old tried to climb, there were bullet marks. Topontiki writes that these data raise the question of whether most of the shots were actually warning shots.

According to the police, they lost visual contact with the person being pursued and fired mostly warning shots into the air, and a few shots in the forward direction. But the final answer should be given by a ballistic examination: it will show the trajectories, direction of fire and whether the officers fired directly at the young man.

And this is where the story stops being an ordinary police report. When a chase leaves 13 shell casings, bullet marks on the wall and a person with head wounds, the public has the right to demand not a press release, but an accurate examination. The bureaucratic “weapons were used” does not explain why a person was on the verge of death.

20 year old condition

The victim was transferred to KAT Hospital after previous hospitalizations in Argos and Triasio. According to media reports, he suffered severe head wounds from bullet fragments and is in extremely critical condition.

News247 writes that, according to medical information, the first clinical tests showed signs of brain death. In such cases, it is more editorially correct to formulate carefully: the condition of the 20-year-old is assessed as extremely serious, and official medical reports must be confirmed by competent doctors.

Police union position

The head of the Argolid Police Union, Andreas Bragkas, said the chase showed the need to equip ΕΛ.ΑΣ with modern means of safely stopping vehicles. He talks about Tasers, tire puncture devices and other equipment that could reduce the risk to citizens and the police themselves.

This argument is important, but does not negate the investigation. A lack of equipment may explain a systemic problem, but it does not answer the main legal question: whether the shots were necessary, proportionate and in accordance with gun regulations.

Athens News previously wrote about the tragedy in Perama, where a 20-year-old young man was fatally wounded during a police chase. Perama: 20-year-old shot by police dies instantly. Comparing cases requires caution, but the public question is the same: where does the line lie between stopping a dangerous driver and using force, which already requires a criminal assessment.

Main conclusion

The Argos case now goes beyond a routine police review. Two ΟΠΚΕ employees have been charged with attempted murder, while the 20-year-old remains in critical condition.

The investigation must establish three key factors: whether the driver posed an immediate threat at the time of the shooting, how many shots were fired, and where exactly they were fired. Until these questions are closed by ballistics and case materials, any attempts to preemptively declare police officers heroes or criminals will not be an investigation, but political noise.

But one thing is already clear: if the state issues weapons, it is obliged to explain every bullet. Especially when, after a chase in an urban environment, a young man ends up in intensive care with head wounds, and two armed police officers go to the investigator not as witnesses, but as accused.

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