At least six people were killed in the shooting in Kyiv on Saturday, with several others injured. According to officials, eight people remain in hospital, with one adult in extremely serious condition and three in serious condition. One victim was the father of a child injured in the attack, and another was thought to be the boy's aunt, according to prosecutor general Ruslan Kravtchenko.
Footage has been shared online appearing to show officers leaving civilians and running away from the scene. Ukraine's Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said the officers in question have been suspended and an investigation into their actions is underway. The officers caught on camera have been suspended from duty for the duration of the investigation, according to multiple reports. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two officers were at the scene but did not stop the murderer and fled on their own, accusing them of inaction. Yevhen Zhukov, head of patrol police, told a news conference that the officers failed to assess the situation properly and left civilians in danger, acting unprofessionally and unworthily.
'Serve and protect' is not just a slogan. It must be supported by appropriate professional actions. Especially at critical moments, when people's lives depend on it.
The Ukrainian authorities are treating Saturday's shooting as a terrorist act. A criminal case into the officers' actions is being handled by Ukraine's national investigations bureau, according to reports. The head of Ukraine's national police, Ivan Vyhovskyi, announced that an internal investigation had been opened. Prosecutor general Ruslan Kravtchenko announced the launch of a criminal investigation into alleged failures by the police officers to fulfil their professional duties.
The shooter has been identified as a 58-year-old man originally from Moscow who had been living in the Holosiivskyi district, according to multiple reports. Prior to this, he had lived in the Donetsk region, according to Ukrainian officials. Interior Minister Igor Klymenko described the shooter's mental state as clearly unstable. The gun he used was officially registered, according to officials. Officials are investigating how he obtained the necessary documents to renew his gun licence, according to multiple reports.
It is not entirely correct to make generalisations about the entire police only by the actions of two employees.
Klymenko pledged to hold expert discussions on firearms legislation with MPs, citizens, journalists, and veterans. He said he believes people should have the right to defend themselves with weapons.
The authorities have not yet spoken about a motive for the shooting, according to multiple reports. The exact motive behind the shooter's attack remains unclear, and it is unknown how he obtained the medical certificates to renew his gun licence. Specific charges or legal outcomes for the suspended officers have not been announced, and the full identities and backgrounds of all the victims are not yet public. Potential changes to firearms legislation from the promised expert discussions are still under discussion.
We are going through a war and every day, unfortunately, there are human losses from Russian strikes. It is especially painful to lose people like this, in an ordinary city, just on the street.
All the actions of law enforcement at the time when citizens' lives were in serious danger, including leaving a young child at risk and failing to neutralise the assailant in time, will be subject to appropriate legal assessment.