Catalan police admit firing shots on night woman lost eye
Seven Mossos removed from riot squad for witholding information
Seven members of Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra regional police force have admitted firing warning shots during a general strike in Barcelona last November, but denied that rubber bullets were deployed.
The officers' admission comes eight months after Ester Quintana, a Barcelona resident, lost her left eye after being struck by what she claims was a rubber projectile fired by police on protestors.
The regional interior chief, Ramon Espadaler, convened a press conference on Monday to relay the news and said the seven agents had been removed from the riot squad due to a "loss of confidence and for hiding an important fact."
"\[The Mossos\] fired a warning salvo," said Espadaler, noting that the use of rubber bullets required the direct authorization of the chief of police, Manel Prat. The officers decided to speak up after an internal investigation uncovered footage of them in the area where Quintana was wounded.
A judicial investigation continues into the events leading to Quintana's injury.
