The Georgian national flag flying on March 24, 2023, in Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
A gunman shot and killed four people and injured another at a market in the Georgian city of Rustavi on Feb. 9. His motives are still unknown, but the alleged shooter's uncle was one of those killed, and his cousin was also injured.
RFE/RL's Georgian service said that the suspected gunman had been arrested at a market where the shooting took place.
Rustavi, a city of about 130,000, is located some 30 kilometers southeast of the capital Tbilisi.
Mass shootings are rare in Georgia.
The last high-profile mass shooting in Georgia occurred in January 2023, when an ex-soldier shot and killed five people, including a police officer who showed up at the scene, before killing himself.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
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Nate Ostiller
