Roma Teen Shot by Greek Police in Thessaloniki Last Week Dies

The 16-year-old Roma who was shot by Greek police last Monday in Thessaloniki sparking nationwide protests died on Tuesday morning, the hospital announced.

Kostas Fragoulis was hospitalized at the Hippocrates Hospital of Thessaloniki and remained in critical condition with a bullet wound to the head for over a week.

According to the hospital’s announcement, “the 16-year-old was brought to the hospital in an ambulance on 5 December at 02:02 in a coma. He was rushed to surgery and then to the hospital’s ICU in a very critical condition and received the best possible mechanical and pharmaceutical support. Today, despite the tireless efforts of the medical and nursing staff he died. We express our sincere condolences to his family and his friends”.

Fragoulis was shot in the early hours of last Monday morning after driving a truck away from a petrol station near Thessaloniki without paying.

Officers from a motorcycle patrol had pursued the teenager’s pickup truck after a gas station employee reported the unpaid bill of twenty euros. The Greek police department said the youth had tried to ram officers in pursuit on motorbikes in his attempt to evade arrest.

Police shooting of Roma youth sparks nationwide protests

Civil Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos – who has responsibility for Greece’s security services – wrote on Twitter that he was “deeply saddened” by the boy’s death.

“The case is being investigated by the court, which is the only one competent to assess the facts and judge the responsibilities,” he added.

The shooting sparked riots in Thessaloniki and other cities in Greece where the Roma community lives. Protesters burned roadblocks and threw Molotov cocktails at riot police in Greece’s second-largest city. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.

The police officer accused of shooting the unarmed Roma teenager was released to home confinement on Friday.

Members of #Greece's Roma communities gather outside courts in the city of Thessaloniki as court decides on whether to hold poluce officers accused of shooting an unarmed 16y/o#Ρομά #16χρονος #θεσσαλονικη pic.twitter.com/eGO1YjSS1k

— Teacher Dude (@teacherdude) December 9, 2022

According to sources, the investigative magistrate and the prosecutor disagreed about whether the suspect should be held in custody pending trial, thus the final say will rest with the judicial council.

About 200 friends, relatives and other protesters from the Roma community gathered outside the courthouse during the procedure, holding up photos of the 16-year-old boy and calling for justice.

Another Roma youth was killed in 2021 near the port of Piraeus. This was also after a police pursuit. The death of the driver has caused outrage amongst the Roma community both within and outside of Athens. Protests have been erupting across the city.

Related: Roma: The Stigmatized People of Greece