Officer charged over deadly shooting of two women

A policeman who is accused of shooting and killing his estranged wife and her colleague on Wednesday afternoon outside a super market in northern Athens was charged with intensional manslaughter and illegal use of a firearm on Thursday.

The 35-year-old blamed his action on the collapse of his marriage and his late's wife decision to move out and take their two young children, a boy and a girl aged 8 and 5 respectively, to her parents in the town of Thebes.

His wife and her colleague had just left the super market where they both worked in the suburb of Kato Kifisia on Wednesday when the suspect approached them and shot them from close range.

He then fled the scene with his car.