Gunman killed after opening fire in Kyiv supermarket; 6 dead, 14 injured
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Editor's note: Read the latest update on this developing story.
A gunman who opened fire in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district on April 18 was killed by police after leaving at least six people dead and 14 others injured, including a 12-year-old boy.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said the attacker was a 58-year-old native of Moscow who used an automatic weapon. After the shooting, he barricaded himself inside the store. The man had long lived in Donetsk Oblast and had previously faced criminal prosecution, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"It is now being determined what can be known about him and his motive," the president said.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that the suspect was eliminated as special forces moved in to detain him. The National Police's Rapid Operational Response Units (KORD) stormed the supermarket where the attacker had barricaded himself.
Officials said the gunman had taken hostages and opened fire on a police officer during the operation. Prior to the assault, negotiators attempted to reach a peaceful resolution.
"The operation was very complex. There was very little time. (The assailant) refused to communicate and was unwilling to make any compromises. There were many civilians (inside the supermarket)," an anonymous KORD officer told reporters, describing the police operation.
Speaking to the press, Klymenko noted that the assailant had a registered hunting carbine and the required medical certificate permitting its use. He added that the prosecutor's office was investigating which medical institution had issued the certificate.
The incident has once again sparked debate over civilian firearm carry in Ukraine, an issue that divides public opinion. Ukraine's weapons controls are governed by a parliamentary resolution, an Interior Ministry directive, and the criminal code, but legislation has been stalled in parliament for years.
When asked by the Kyiv Independent, Klymenko said it was "not a topic for today's discussion."
"The weapon (the assailant) used was legal — purchased from a store, registered, and tested," the minister said.
A fire also broke out in an apartment where the suspect was registered, according to preliminary information.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that five people were initially reported killed in the shooting — four on the street and one inside the supermarket. A woman who was among the wounded later died in the hospital, bringing the total death toll to six.
Klitschko added that the woman was about 30 years old and her identity is still being established. Doctors also treated six victims at the scene, including a four-month-old child who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in an apartment near the one set on fire by the attacker.
On April 19, Kravchenko said a criminal case has been opened into the alleged negligence of police officers during the attack. The investigation, led by the State Bureau of Investigation, will assess whether law enforcement failed to act promptly, including possible endangerment of a child and delays in stopping the attacker.
Also on April 19, Yevhen Zhukov, head of Ukraine's patrol police, resigned following backlash over police actions during the April 18 shooting in Kyiv, but said he would remain in the Interior Ministry. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko earlier called the officers' actions "shameful" and said they were suspended pending an investigation.
Zelensky added that investigators from the National Police and the Security Service of Ukraine are working to establish all the circumstances of the attack.
The shooting in Kyiv was one of the rarest and deadliest incidents of its kind the country has seen in many years. In separate incidents, two prominent figures were killed in the western city of Lviv over the past two years — former lawmaker and linguist Iryna Farion and lawmaker Andriy Parubiy.
