Wanted escaped convict Marian Kola was shot dead by the Police in a gun battle on Sunday with the Police in a forest area outside the village Vrosina, at the junction of the Kalamas and Zalogopotamos rivers.
One EKAM officer was wounded in the knee and is being treated at the “Hatzikosta” General Hospital in Ioannina. The Minister of Public Order Nikos Dendias has contacted the Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to update him on the police operations.
The two wanted men disappeared about two weeks ago, with Police forces remaining in the area as they were not convinced that they managed to cross the border into Albania.
At around 4am on Sunday EKAM officers located the two men and ordered them to surrender. Kola appears to have opened fire, injuring an EKAM officer. In the fire exchange Kola was shot in the back, from a distance of about 20-30 meters. An autopsy has been scheduled for Monday morning.
The police also believe that Kola’s accomplice and fellow escaped convict Ilir Koupa was also wounded in the battle and is still in the area.
The Police reported that they recovered one Kalashnikov assault rifle, one handgun and one improvised hand grenade from Kola. Furthermore, they found a backpack with cooked food, leading the Police to believe that the two wanted men found shelter in the area or had other accomplices.
