A special police operation to search for and detain the man who opened fire on the 71-year-old director of a reproductive medicine clinic on September 3 at around 10:00 has been completed in Kyiv. As the head of the Kyiv Police, Dmytro Shumeiko, announced, the attacker turned out to be a 40-year-old native of Poltava Oblast, a serviceman in the status of a person subject to mobilization (SZCh). The perpetrator was found and detained in the Shevchenkivskyi district of the capital, where he had been hiding in an acquaintance's apartment. Firearms were seized from the suspect during the search.
Details of the attack
According to the investigation, the incident broke out at the entrance to the reproductive medicine clinic. The attacker ambushed the clinic's director at the moment he was getting out of his car and immediately opened fire on him. When the 71-year-old man fell to the ground, the perpetrator moved closer and continued shooting. A total of no fewer than 23 shots were fired. After that, the attacker fled the scene, believing the victim to be dead. Despite the numerous wounds, the clinic's director survived. He is currently in the intensive care unit under medical observation.
Search and detention
Immediately after the shooting, a special police operation was launched in Kyiv to search for the armed attacker. Additional Kyiv Police units and officers of the KORD special unit were brought in to the search measures. According to Dmytro Shumeiko, law enforcement officers "step by step" established the suspect's identity and his location. As a result of the operational actions, the man was found in an acquaintance's apartment in the Shevchenkivskyi district. At the detention site, as can be seen in the published footage, large-scale investigative and operational work was being carried out: the area was cordoned off, dozens of numbered yellow evidence markers were placed on the paving stones, and forensic experts were working in protective gloves and shoe covers.
Motive and charges filed
According to the preliminary version of the investigation, the cause of the attack may have been a conflict related to the treatment of the detained man's wife at this clinic. Dmytro Shumeiko emphasized that law enforcement officers are currently establishing all the circumstances of what happened and the motive of the crime. The detainee was notified of suspicion in a completed attempt to commit intentional murder (Part 2 of Article 15, Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The maximum penalty under the sanction of this article provides for life imprisonment.
Contradictory data
In the official statements of the law enforcement agencies, the motive of the crime at the time of publication is designated as a "preliminary version of the investigation" and is worded with the caveat "may have been." That is, the final qualification of the attacker's motivation has not yet been given. In addition, the exact number of shots is cited in open sources as "no fewer than 23," which leaves room for clarification upon completion of the ballistic expertise. Until the full conclusion of the investigation is received, both of these details remain the subject of an ongoing investigation.
The investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officers are checking all the circumstances of the case, including the legality of the suspect's storage and carrying of firearms, as well as establishing the full circle of persons involved in the preparation of or assistance in committing the crime. The fate of the detainee will be determined by the court, taking into account the severity of the charges filed.
