Cadiz police arrest a local sniper who was shooting at the police station

The air conditioning at the Cádiz Provincial Police Station stopped working a few weeks ago, leaving the building without air conditioning in the middle of a heat wave. It could have been just another fault in a building renovated just two years ago, but it turned out that the reason was much more extravagant. Technicians discovered that the unit was riddled with bullet holes, rendering it unusable. The officers had to set up surveillance to discover the cause. A nearby neighbour had taken to using compressed air guns to shoot at the building, according to the National Police.

The 49-year-old man, with no criminal record, was arrested on Thursday in a police operation in which he was also seized with an illegal arsenal of seven pistols, a revolver and seven long weapons such as rifles, carbines, rifles and submachine guns, all of the Airsoft type. The suspect, who has invoked his right not to testify before the police, is being investigated for being allegedly responsible for a crime of attack against law enforcement officers and causing damage. Investigators are now trying to find out the motive that led the detainee to attack the police station, while they are analysing whether the weapons have undergone any kind of modification to alter or extend their firing range.

The police investigation began after the alleged breakdown in the air conditioning units, which seemed inconsequential and left the workers without air conditioning in the middle of heat waves. The surprise came when one of the sides of the external unit of the air conditioning unit, located on the roof of the building, appeared to be riddled with dozens of pellet gun shots. During one of these visual inspections, the detainee even shot when several officers were on the roof inspecting the damage. “The officers, upon hearing the explosions, ran to take cover, for fear of being hit,” explained the National Police in Cádiz on Friday in a statement.

The police later found marks of bullets in places near windows, the lighting system and the wiring, so they came to the conclusion that the shooter had been attacking the building for “several weeks”, especially the rear and the roof. This way of proceeding with sniper skills forced the agents to start an investigation “with long hours” of surveillance that have lasted for a good part of the month of July, as confirmed by the Police Station. Finally, the police discovered the address from which the shots came.

Last Thursday, almost a dozen agents were deployed at the property to arrest the suspect. In the home they found small quantities of drugs – compatible with personal consumption -, various lead bullet ammunition, an arsenal of seven pistols, a revolver and seven long weapons, considered “illegal” by the police, who explain that the possession of this type of weapons propelled by compressed air or nitrogen gas “is subject to regulation and control.”

Now, the specialists of the Provincial Brigade of Scientific Police of Cadiz are preparing an operational ballistics report with the idea of ​​determining whether the weapons have undergone any modification that alters their characteristics and firing capabilities, as well as verifying their correct operation. In addition, a study has been carried out at the scene of the crime to determine the possible trajectories of the shots, as well as the effective range distance. Meanwhile, it is expected that the suspect will be brought before the court in the next few hours.