NEWS

Pensioner kills two in Lamia rampage

Two people were killed and another two injured early yesterday after a pensioner in a small seafront village near Lamia, central Greece, attacked his neighbors using a knife and gun, before turning his fire on passers-by and police, who arrested him after a standoff of several hours. It was not clear what prompted the 69-year-old from Kafki, between the villages of Raches and Achladi, to go on the rampage. His first attack took place shortly after 2.30 a.m., when he approached people from a neighboring house who were holding a party with friends on the beach, some 30 meters from their house. The suspect, who was not named, allegedly got in an argument with one of the guests, a 50-year-old taxi driver, resulting in the older man stabbing the victim, who suffered serious injures. The 69-year-old then went to his house, got his shotgun and returned to the beach. He shot and killed the couple that was holding the party and injured a 28-year-old woman. The gunman then went to another neighboring house but the owners had heard the commotion and had locked all their doors and windows. Despite efforts to force his way in, the suspect gave up and hid in some bushes instead. From there, he fired indiscriminately at passers-by before returning home and locking himself inside. He opened fire on police patrol cars that surrounded the property and refused to speak to a negotiator that had been brought in with the hope of convincing the 69-year-old to give himself up. The standoff ended when the suspect left his house and made his way to the beach while shooting at police officers. They returned fire and a bullet struck the pensioner, who was taken to the hospital, where he was in an intensive care unit last night.

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