Ukrainian gunman, 58-year-old Dmytro Vasylychenkov, who carried out a mass shooting in Kyiv, referred to himself as a general of the Russian army, says Ivan Vyhivskyi, the head of the National Police, according to RBC-Ukraine.
On 18 April, the man opened fire on people in the streets of the Ukrainian capital. He killed six people and injured 14 others, including an 11-year-old boy and his mother (the boy’s father was killed). The death toll later rose to seven after another victim died in the hospital on 20 April.
Shooter turns residential area into scene of terror
According to investigators, videos found on the attacker’s device show that he recorded himself during the shooting.
“When we examined files on his phone, he was constantly filming himself while shooting. As he walked through the building entrance, he called himself a general of the Russian army. We understand that he had certain mental health issues,” Vyhivskyi said.
Special forces storm scene and eliminate attacker after failed negotiations
After opening fire, Vasylychenkov entered a supermarket and took people hostage. Special forces units arrived at the scene and conducted negotiations with the shooter for 40 minutes, but they were unsuccessful.
He was ultimately neutralized.
Law enforcement delays response, leaving wounded under fire
A police patrol arrived at the scene with weapons but did not use them, despite having the authority to do so, and left the area, abandoning injured civilians.
As a result, the head of the Patrol Police Department, Yevhen Zhukov, was dismissed and later appointed as an advisor to the head of the National Police, Ivan Vyhivskyi, on wartime issues.
Preventive measures have been imposed on the officers who fled the scene, Suspilne has reported.
It was also reported that the attacker set his apartment on fire before going outside with a weapon. He had a prior criminal record, had lived in the Donetsk region for a long time, and was born in Russia.
