A 46-year-old police officer was shot dead by his fellow officers in a shoot out at a gasolinera in Burgos during the early hours of Wednesday.

The fatal incident was the conclusion of a long car chase after the officer had stolen a gun where he worked at the Lonzas police station in Coruña (Galicia). The long chase had lasted through the night.

He had been put on second-line duties (administrative) upon returning to duty after being off sick for depression. Instead of concluding his duties that evening, he remained behind and secretly forced an arms locker and stole a colleague’s pistol.

When the gun owner realised that it was missing and reported it, everybody suspected that it had been the said police officer because of his nervous behaviour before leaving.

Immediately, the Ministerio del Interior, fearing that he would use it on himself or commit a crime, ordered that he be found and arrested, mobilising dozens of officers both from the Policía Nacional and the Guardia Civil.

Around 03.45h in the morning, officers based in Burgos were warned that he was approaching the city on the A-231 and ordered to pull him over. Instead, he fired shots as he sped by – nobody was hit. They gave chase and together with three other police units cornered him in the said gasolinera.

He received three bullet wounds; one in the ankle and one in the leg before the final impact in the chest, killing him. None of the other officers involved were injured.

Editorial comment: not the best place to start firing bullets around.

(News: Burgos, Castilla-Leon)