A man who entered the Montornès del Vallès police station with a knife has been shot dead.

BarcelonaThe Montornés del Vallès Local Police have shot a young man who allegedly broke into the police station with a knife on Friday night. The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. and the man, who was between 20 and 25 years old, died. According to initial reports, he entered the building with some kind of knife to threaten one of the officers. To force him back, a colleague shot him using his service firearm. In the incident, a police officer was also seriously injured by a ricocheting bullet that hit his torso, but was taken to a Barcelona hospital and is not in danger of death.

The Criminal Investigation Division (DIC) of the Northern Metropolitan Region of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police) has taken charge of the case to clarify how the events occurred inside the police station, as well as the motive. In this regard, as per protocol, investigators will have to review any footage recorded at the police station.

According to sources consulted by ARA, the Mossos d'Esquadra have completely ruled out any terrorist motives behind the incident. In fact, the initial reports that have emerged indicate that the young man killed was "very unstable," that he had a history of mental health issues, and that shortly before the incident, he had allegedly had an argument with street officers. The investigation is under judicial secrecy.

Union complaint: "We don't have safe spaces"

Following the incident in Montornès del Vallès, the Independent Union of Local Police (SIP-FEPOL) demanded this Saturday an "urgent" plan to counteract "the serious lack of security measures in many local police stations in Catalonia." The SIP-FEPOL defended "the professionalism of the officer" who shot the boy "to protect his life and that of his colleagues in a highly stressful and extreme situation."

In this regard, the SIP-FEPOL emphasizes that the force suffers from a "chronic" shortage of officers in many municipalities, which they try to "make up for with temporary officers who often lack the required basic training or the standard-issue weapon." "This situation not only puts their own safety at risk, but also that of their colleagues and the citizens they are supposed to protect," the union argues.

Furthermore, the union denounces that local police stations in Catalonia often have "open access without any type of filtering, a lack of controls for prohibited objects, and reception areas without bulletproof glass, metal detectors, or security arches." In short, they assert, most police stations lack "safe spaces" and operate with few surveillance cameras.