The Ministry of the Interior stated that Priest George Rafiq Housh shot himself today in the St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Lattakia.
The ministry stated in a statement that it was reported to Sheikh Dahir Police Station in Lattakia that Priest George Rafiq Housh, born in 1956, shooting himself in the St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
Immediately, a patrol was sent from the police station and the Forensic Evidence Department, and upon their arrival to the place, the priest was seen sitting on a chair within the cathedral, with a gunshot wound to the chest with a pistol lying on the ground next to him, according to the statement.
The ministry added that the Medical and Judicial Examination Body came to the scene of the accident, and it was found that the cause of death was a hemorrhagic traumatic shock following a gunshot wound to the chest towards the back.
The ministry noted that through the investigation under the supervision of the Lattakia Governorate Police Commander, it was found that the priest had shot himself with his own 7.5 mm pistol due to psychological and social pressures as a scraps of paper was found in his possession in his handwriting which confirm that.
For its part, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Lattakia issued a statement about the incident, saying, “The Father George Rafiq Housh ended his life this evening by shooting himself inside St. George’s Cathedral. This surprising behavior came as a result of accumulated psychological and social pressures.”
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)