83-year-old facing eviction in Torremolinos asked police for a few minutes to get dressed before he shot himself
The elderly German was in his underwear when he opened the door to the police, who were there to carry out the eviction
Torremolinos, Calle Murillo Bracho, 11.30am. Two Local Police officers accompanied the judicial experts to proceed with the eviction of 83-year-old A.V. from Germany, who had debts related to residential community fees. His flat had been awarded to a new owner through an auction. A dull noise indicated to the police that something was wrong. It was only when they entered the flat that they discovered that the man had shot himself with his own gun. He was a retired police officer who had just become a widower.
What happened on Tuesday, 21 October imitates so many other evictions, but the outcome has shocked the public. When the police knocked on the door, the elderly man appeared. He was in his underwear. The police told him the reason for their visit and asked him to leave the house. He had already been warned about the eviction, so the police asked him if he had packed his things.
According to sources, the man asked them for a few seconds to get dressed. He closed the door behind him and the police stayed outside to respect his privacy. While waiting, they heard a sound that they interpreted more as a thump than a gunshot. They thought that A.V. had fallen. In fact, it was not going to be the first time the elderly man had fallen and sought help.
The police started calling his name, but got no response. When they looked through the window, they saw the man lying on the bed. Faced with a possibly urgent situation, they forced entry and alerted the medical services.
However, when they turned him over, they saw the blood and the gun next to him. The man was still alive, but they knew that the wound was fatal. He died in Hospital Regional in Malaga a few hours later.
His belongings went to his daughter
An investigation was launched. Everything suggests that A.V. had planned to take his own life. An hour before the police arrived, he had given a bag with documents and some belongings to a neighbour so that she could give them to his daughter, who lives in Germany.
The first attempt to evict A.V. was on 11 July 2023. He had accumulated 2,066 euros of unpaid residential fees since 2014, to which 619 euros of interest and extra charges were added. As a result, he was sued and a judicial auction awarded the property to the current owner.
