Two dead, two injured in shooting on Crete

Page last updated at 03:12 GMT, Monday, June 25, 2012 - 08:12 EST

AMNA--Two persons died and two were injured following a clash late Sunday night in the Profitis Elias village of Iraklio prefecture, Crete island, where a strong police continent arrived early Monday morning to prevent the prospect of "vendetta" retaliations.

According to early information, a 34-year-old municipal employee went to a local butcher's shop in order to settle his differences with the 52-year-old owner.

The two men argued, and they started to throw punches, the butcher's 17-year-old son tried to separate them, but the 34-year-old pulled out a 9mm pistol and fired at least five shots, injuring the butcher in the legs, while one bullet wounded the teen boy in the neck and another bullet ricocheted, hitting a 64-year-old customer.

The butcher ran to his car, took out a hunting gun and shot at least twice at the 34-year-old, killing him on the spot. The butcher, who had been shot in the legs earlier by the deceased, immediately turned himself in to police, telling them that he and his teenage son were the victims of an armed assault by the deceased and that he had acted in self-defense, forced to return the fire in order to save his and his son's lives.

The butcher was taken to Rethymno Hospital, where he is under police guard, while the 64-year-old customer died later in intensive care unit (ICU) of nearby Venizelios Hospital.

The teenager was reported to be in a non-life-threatening condition in the Venizelio Hospital's neurosurgery unit.

A strong police contingent was dispatched to the village, but also the hospitals, in fear of a vendetta.