Police chief resigns in wake of Kyiv mass shooting
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Yevhen Zhukov, head of Ukraine's patrol police, resigned on April 19 amid controversy over the police response to the deadly mass shooting in Kyiv the previous day.
The resignation comes after a gunman opened fire at a supermarket in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district on April 18, leaving at least six people dead and 14 others injured, including a 12-year-old boy. The shooter was killed by police.
The incident sparked an investigation into possible police negligence, after video emerged of two officers running away from the scene after hearing shots fired.
"As a combat officer, I have decided to submit a report for dismissal from the position I hold. I think it will be fair," Zhukov said at press briefing on April 19.
Zhukov described the actions of his subordinate officers during the shooting as "shameful." The two officers have been suspended pending an investigation.
"An internal investigation will be conducted and all managers will be held accountable for these actions, all managers who are currently the superiors of these two police officers," Zhukov said.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko previously announced announced that a criminal case has been opened into the alleged negligence of police officers during the attack in Kyiv. 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.
Ivan Vyhivskyi, head of Ukraine's National Police, said that Zhukov would not be dismissed from law enforcement altogether but would likely be transferred to another position in the Interior Ministry, possibly to help more directly with the war effort.
Zhukov has headed the Patrol Police Department of the National Police since 2015.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko called the response of the two officers "a disgrace for the entire system" — though he cautioned against generalizing about the entire police force and praised those involved in the special operation who stormed the supermarket and stopped the gunman.
"'To serve and protect' is not just a slogan. It should be backed up by appropriate professional actions. Especially in critical moments, when people's lives depend on it," he said.
Klymenko also said there would be no "mass checks on gun owners" in the wake of the shooting, but that the ministry would open up expert discussions to prepare final legislation on civilian gun ownership.
The motives of the gunman, a 58-year-old native of Moscow who reportedly lived in Donetsk Oblast, are still under investigation.
