Athens (Greece not Georgia!): 4 injured in shooting

[Ryan in Maine]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090410/ap_on_re_eu/eu_greece_college_shooting

ATHENS, Greece – A teenager armed with two handguns and a knife opened fire in a vocational training college in Athens Friday, wounding three people before attempting to take his own life, Greek authorities said.

Police said an 18-year-old student at the western Athens state college was seriously injured and two men outside the college building were shot and lightly injured. All three have been hospitalized.

Although there have been cases of stabbings at Greek schools, the shooting is unprecedented.

The gunman, who has not been named, shot himself in the head and was hospitalized in critical condition. Police identified him as a 19-year-old immigrant from the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia, and said he left a note accusing his fellow students of picking on him.

"He left a note saying he couldn't take it any more," police spokesman Panayiotis Stathis told The Associated Press. "It seems his motive was revenge."

Stathis said the gunman shot his fellow student four times. "He may have believed (the victim) was most strongly involved in the activities against him."

Stathis said the shooter was armed with two handguns and a knife was found in his bag.

Police say the gunman arrived around 8:45 a.m., a quarter of an hour after lessons had started, and shot the student victim in the courtyard before running out.

He then shot two workers at a nearby shop who tried to stop him, one in the leg and the other in the arm. The he went to a park close to the school where he shot himself in the head.

Senior Health Ministry official Panayiotis Efstathiou said the student who was shot by the gunman was in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the chest, while the other two men had suffered lighter injuries.

"The gunman is in very serious condition with a gunshot wound to the head ... he's about to receive surgery," Efstathiou said.

"The victim who is seriously injured is 18 or 19 years old. The other two are about 30 and are not seriously hurt," he said.

The story line said "Athens" and I immediately thought "NOT ANOTHER ONE", but then I clicked on the link.

Can someone tell me why they're trying to save the criminal though?

[vaskidmark]

Can someone tell me why they're trying to save the criminal though?

Because it's the right thing to do.

Because if he dies they will not be able to prosecute him.

Same reason folks on death row get better medical care than general population - so the Reaper cannot cheat the State.

stay safe.

skidmark