Police fatally shot a person for the first time in Iceland's modern history while exchanging gunfire with a man who was reportedly shooting at cars from his residence Monday morning.
The 59-year-old victim, who was said to be firing shots from his apartment window, wasn't immediately identified. After receiving a 5 a.m. emergency call from neighbors, police responded to the scene, where two officers were wounded as well, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"Police regret this incident and would like to extend their condolences to the family of the man," Icelandic Police Chief Haraldur Johannessen was quoted as saying by BBC.
The armed man had reportedly been making threats to his neighbors, and police officers evacuated the apartment building where he lived, EuroNews reported.
Police threw a smoke bomb into the apartment through a broken window and entered the building around 6 a.m.
The fatality is the first in the more than 200 years since Iceland began pushing for independence from Denmark; police in the country are usually unarmed, except for members of special forces units.
The incident was "without precedent" in Iceland, according to Johannessen. Officials have ordered an investigation of the shooting, which was especially unusual given the country's low crime rate.
The investigation will look at both police conduct and the motive of the man who was firing shots. The special forces unit is also in counseling, according to BBC.
Iceland, which has a population of around 320,000 and enjoys one of the lowest crime rates in the world, also has widespread gun ownership with about 90,000 guns registered among its people, according to GunPolicy.org.
The number of gun owners is high in spite of the more rigorous registration system, which include a medical examination and a written test, the LA Times reported via BBC.
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