Police officers have been notified of charges related to their actions during the terrorist attack in Kyiv
Two police officers have been notified of charges for fleeing the scene of a terrorist attack in Kyiv on April 18, leaving the victims to fend for themselves. They are charged with professional negligence resulting in serious consequences under Part 3 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (5 to 8 years in prison).
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko wrote about this on Facebook, releasing video footage from the patrol officers’ body cameras.
“I held a meeting with prosecutors and reviewed video footage from the scene of last Saturday’s events in Kyiv. The patrol crew responded to a call about a shooting. At the scene, they found the wounded: a child, a man, and a woman who required immediate medical attention. Other people were nearby, including another child.The boy, who had a gunshot wound, asked the law enforcement officers not to save him, but to help his father. This is a display of incredible courage on the part of the child. Instead, the patrol crew, despite carrying service firearms and having every legal basis for their use, effectively fled the scene,” Kravchenko wrote.
The Prosecutor General noted that due to the inaction of police officers, the armed man continued to move unimpeded down the street and shoot at defenseless passersby. Sufficient evidence has been gathered to file charges against two officers of the Kyiv Patrol Police Department for their actions during the terrorist attack.
The attack took place on Saturday, April 18, when 58-year-old Dmytro Vasylchenkov opened fire on pedestrians on Demiivska Street, after which he took hostages at the “Velmart” supermarket. Six people were killed in the attack, and about 15 others were injured to varying degrees.
Earlier, a video surfaced online showing police officers fleeing from the shooter during the terrorist attack in Kyiv on April 18, leaving civilians behind, including a child.
At the instruction of Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, an internal investigation has been launched into the actions of patrol officers at the scene of the shooting in Kyiv. For the duration of the investigation, the police officers involved in the incident have been suspended from duty.
