In Kyiv, two patrol police officers have been charged due to their behavior during a terrorist attack that occurred on April 18 in the Holosiivskyi district of the capital. Attorney General Ruslan Kravchenko announced this after analyzing video footage from the body cameras of the law enforcement officers who were the first to arrive at the scene.
This is reported by Finway
Details of the Incident and Police Actions
The patrol officers responded to a call about gunfire, where they found injured individuals—a child, a man, and a woman—who required immediate assistance. The released footage shows a boy with a gunshot wound pleading with the police to help his father. However, according to the Attorney General, the crew, despite having service weapons and legal grounds for their use, left the scene.
“The boy with a gunshot wound asks the law enforcement officers not to save him but to help his father. This demonstrates incredible bravery from the child. Instead, the patrol crew, having their service firearms and all legal grounds for their use, essentially fled the scene.”
Due to their inaction, Kravchenko notes, the armed criminal was able to continue down the street and open fire on passersby. Investigators have gathered sufficient evidence to charge the two officers from the Patrol Police Department with official negligence that led to severe consequences (Part 3 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). A pre-trial investigation is currently underway.
Investigation and Further Actions
According to the prosecutor’s office, the suspected patrol officers have not been detained yet, but a request for a preventive measure in the form of detention will be made. A decision on this is expected to be made tomorrow.
It has been reported that during the terrorist attack on April 18, the attacker opened fire on people, resulting in the deaths of four individuals on the street. The assailant later barricaded himself inside a supermarket, where he held hostages. During the assault, the attacker was neutralized, and the death toll rose to seven.
Head of the National Police Ivan Vihivskyi clarified that the patrol officers responded to a call regarding a conflict between citizens and only learned about the shooting on their way. Upon arriving at the scene, they heard gunfire, left their service vehicle near the building, and proceeded to the entrance, where they saw the injured. One officer approached a child with a head injury and intended to return to the car for a first aid kit when new shots were fired, prompting the officers to run back to their service vehicle. These actions were captured on camera and the video spread on social media.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has instructed to conduct a service investigation regarding the actions of the police during the terrorist attack, and all materials are to be forwarded to the State Bureau of Investigations.