A 50-year-old Thessaloniki police officer charged with shooting a 40-year-old man with his service revolver following an argument over a parking space was exonerated yesterday after a misdemeanors’ council took into account his previous clean record and bravery on the force.

The 50-year-old, head of the Oraiokastro police station, had been off duty when he chided the 40-year-old man for parking his car in front of a store on June 3. An argument followed and culminated with the officer reaching for his service revolver and shooting the man in the thigh. The officer claims his gun went off by mistake when the 40-year-old lunged at him.

In its ruling, the council said the officer was a family man with a clean record who had been commended by his superiors in 2000 for “the exceptional initiative he displayed, while off duty, in chasing and disarming two robbers.”