A clash broke out between protesters and police during a demonstration held in Athens, Greece after the death of a 16-year-old Roman boy who was shot by a police officer while trying to escape from a gas station without paying €20 gas price on December 5. Some of the protesters chanted “killer” slogans at the police, while others threw stones and foreign objects. Riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

In the violent demonstrations previously staged by the Roman community in many cities, especially in the capital Athens and Thessaloniki, a police officer was slightly injured.

The police officer who shot the boy said in his statement that he fired two shots to stop the boy as attempted hitting one of the motorcycles following him with his vehicle. He claimed that he shot to protect his teammates and that he did not want to shoot the child.

The officer was put under house arrest after being accused of intentionally attempting to kill, using a weapon illegally.