Eugen Sabau, 46, shot three of his colleagues at the security services company where he worked in the northeastern city of Tarragona, then wounded a police officer while fleeing. After barricading himself in a house with an arsenal of weapons, a regular police unit stormed the building and shot him several times. “The Gunslinger of Tarragona”, as the Spanish media referred to him, was left a quadriplegic, had one leg amputated and the wounds caused chronic pain that could not be treated with painkillers due to his fragile condition. Courts allowed Sabau’s assisted death after rejecting several appeals by his victims who argued he should face justice. The case even reached Spain’s Constitutional Court, which refused to discuss it, saying there had been no violation of fundamental rights. Spain legalized assisted dying just over a year ago. Before that, helping someone end their life was punishable by up to 10 years in prison. According to El Pais newspaper, since the law came into effect on June 25, at least 172 people have used the right to assisted death.
