Ukraine police chief resigns following officers’ alleged fleeing of deadly shooting23 minutes agoKathryn ArmstrongReutersThe head of Ukraine’s patrol police, Yevhen Zukov, resigned on Monday after two of his officers were criticized for allegedly running from a deadly mass-shooting in the capital Kyiv. Six people died and fourteen others were injured after a gunman opened fire in the street of Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi District before taking other hostage in an a a He was killed in a shootout with police. Footage has been shared online that appears to show officers running away from the scene and leaving civilians. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Igor Klymenko confirmed the suspension of the officers and said an investigation was underway. “‘Serve & Protect’ is not a slogan. It must be backed up by appropriate professional action. Especially in critical moments, where people’s lives are at stake,” he wrote on Telegram. However, Klymenko cautioned that it is not correct to generalise about the entire police force based on the actions of just two employees. “Zhukov said at a Sunday news conference that the officers “failed to evaluate the situation properly and put civilians in danger”. He also said that they acted in an “unprofessional and unworthy” manner. Klymenko described the man’s mental state as “clearly unstable”. Eight people remain in hospital, of whom one adult was in an “extremely serious condition” and three were in a serious condition, officials said. Klymenko described the man’s mental state as “clearly unstable”.Eight people remain in hospital, of whom one adult was in an “extremely serious condition” and three were in a serious condition, officials said.ReutersUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an update on Sunday that the two officers had been “at the scene of the crime, but did not stop the murderer, and fled on their own”.He accused them of “inaction” and said a criminal case into the matter – which will also check their previous work – was being handled by Ukraine’s national investigations bureau. Zelensky said that “we are in a war, and unfortunately, every day there are human casualties from Russian strikes.” “It’s especially painful to lose someone like this in a normal city, just walking down the street. “More information is emerging about the victims. Kravchenko revealed that one of the victims was the father. The boy’s aunt was also believed to be among those who died. The shooter was identified as a 58 year-old man originally from Moscow who lived in Holosiivskyi in the days leading up to the shooting. The authorities are now investigating the circumstances in which he obtained documents to renew his license. Kyiv is frequently attacked during the ongoing war against Russia, but shootings of this type are rare. Klymenko said that there would not a mass check on gun owners after the shooting. “I think people should be able to defend themselves with guns,” he said. “Especially after the experience of when, at first, the full-scale invasion began, civilians were given weapons for national resistance. “Ukrainian Citizens are allowed to own non-automatic weapons provided they meet licence requirements, such as having no criminal record or mental illness.
