Police detain suspect in Nikopol deputy mayor murder case

The police in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast detained a suspect in the murder case of Nikopol Deputy Mayor Vitalii Zhuravlov, the police press service reported on Feb. 12.

Zhuravlov, aged 59, was shot to death in his car on Nikopol's streets on Feb. 8. His body was found in the burnout vehicle.

Law enforcement officials did not name the suspect but said it was a 33-year-old Nikopol resident who was allegedly preparing to commit the crime for four months.

The suspect allegedly waited for the car at Zhuravlov's usual route. He then approached the car, firing 20 shots from an automatic weapon and throwing a grenade into the vehicle, igniting it and killing the official, the police said.

The person allegedly buried the used weapon in a forest, but it was discovered by authorities and sent for expertise.

According to the investigation, the suspect was planning to commit similar crimes against other officials in Nikopol. The police did not mention a possible motive for the murder.

The suspect was detained while in a rented apartment near the crime scene.

Prosecutors: Nikopol deputy mayor killed by unknown perpetrators

A deputy mayor of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was shot to death in his car on Feb. 8 by unknown perpetrators, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek