A woman is fighting for her life after sustaining a severe self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Malevizi Shooting Range near Heraklion, Crete. According to emergency responders from EKAB (National Center for Emergency Care), the woman — a young woman originally from Thessaloniki — was handling a firearm during a training session when she deliberately turned the weapon on herself.
What happened at the shooting range?
Witnesses reported that moments before the incident, the woman told the range instructor, ‘Step back — you’re making me anxious.’ The instructor complied, stepping away briefly. Immediately afterward, she placed the firearm under her neck and fired.
The shot caused a serious neck injury and uncontrolled bleeding. Though she remained conscious and responsive upon arrival of the ambulance, her condition was deemed extremely critical. She was rushed urgently to Venizelio Hospital in Heraklion, where she was intubated. As of the latest reports, her condition remains very critical.
Official account confirms intentional act
The president of the Malevizi Shooting Club — who was also acting as the woman’s instructor — spoke to neakriti.gr, offering a detailed and sobering account. He categorically dismissed theories suggesting an accident, stating clearly that the woman, approximately 40 years old, acted intentionally.
He confirmed her presence at the range was fully lawful: ‘After the first round of competitions, she came as a visitor. New legislation allows even visitors to participate in our training sessions — and we followed all required procedures.’
He accompanied her onto the range to provide basic instruction: ‘I’m a certified shooting instructor. I showed her the proper and safe way to handle firearms.’ He added that she appeared completely normal and gave no sign of distress or psychological instability — even engaging in casual conversation.
Nonetheless, she repeatedly asked him to step back, citing anxiety. ‘She said, “Step back a little… you’re making me nervous,”’ he recalled. ‘The moment I moved away, she placed the gun under her neck and shot herself.’
Addressing early speculation about accidental discharge, he emphasized: ‘Firearms don’t go off by themselves — she pulled the trigger in front of me.’
Deeply shaken, he described the profound impact on everyone present: ‘Our club has operated for decades, with 2,000 members. Nothing like this has ever happened before — I’ve never witnessed anything similar.’