Man shot by police after stealing car and attempting to run over officer dies
Police union claims self-defense as judge opens investigation into use of force
The man who was shot by a police officer on Saturday near the southern Catalonia town of Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant after stealing a car and trying to run over an officer died a day later in Tarragona.
The man allegedly stole a car on Carrer d'Amèrica street in Amposta, another town in the Ebre river delta area, at around 1 pm before fleeing north towards Tarragona.
A police chase ensued, with Mossos d'Esquadra officers setting up a checkpoint on the A-7 highway near Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant.
When the man got there, he pulled an illegal U-turn against the flow of traffic and found himself facing the officers that had been chasing him.
According to the police, he then proceeded to ignore their instructions and attempted to run over one of them.
The officer opened fire on the stolen vehicle and one of the bullets went through the windshield and hit the driver in the head.
The was taken to Joan XXIII Hospital in Tarragona in critical condition, where he died hours later.
The Mossos d'Esquadra police have opened an investigation into the incident to determine whether the use of force was justified.
According to SAP-Fepol police union spokesperson Toni Castejón, the officer was "protecting his and other people's lives" in a "high-risk and stressful situation."
"Some of our colleagues have been killed in similar situations," he wrote on X.
A local judge has also opened an inquiry into the events that took place.