An 18-year-old man who shot a girl in the eye was arrested in Kryvyi Rih

A court has ordered pretrial detention without bail for an 18-year-old man who injured a 16-year-old girl on public transportation. 

This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General. 

The incident occurred on the evening of April 17 following a verbal altercation. The suspect fired at least four shots from an air gun at his acquaintance’s torso and face. The minor victim sustained a penetrating eye injury and is currently hospitalized. Law enforcement officers detained the suspect under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine under the procedural supervision of the Kryvyi Rih Northern District Prosecutor’s Office. The final legal classification of the crime will be determined after the severity of the girl’s injuries is assessed. Necessary investigative actions are currently underway to clarify all the circumstances of the attack. 

According to preliminary reports from local media, unrequited love may have been the cause of the altercation. 

On Saturday, April 18, 58-year-old Dmytro Vasylchenkov opened fire on passersby 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 April 18 attack in Kyiv, 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.