Policeman Shot Minsk Dweller On New Year's Eve

A 28-year-old Keramin employee is in the intensive care.

Early in the morning of January 1, a conflict between a 28-year-old man and a police officer occurred at an apartment in Liubimau street in Minsk.

The version of law enforcement officers runs counter to the Minsker’s relatives’ one. But what we have been credibly informed is that the policeman shot the guy, the victim was taken to hospital.

The Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee informs that on January 1, at about 6.40, the police received a call about noise in an apartment, so one police officer was sent there. When he rang the doorbell of the apartment, a young man came out and attacked him, trying to get hold of his service weapon.

Therefore the policeman, having warned the offender, fired a warning shot, then "wounded the assailant in the soft tissues" and detained him. The victim underwent surgery and the police officer got a traumatic brain injury.

Criminal proceedings (Art. 363 of the Criminal Code) were initiated over the fact of resisting the police.

The mother of wounded 28-year-old Andrei does not believe that her son provoked the incident. He opened the door and saw several police officers, "at least two officers were there," she told BelaPAN.

"This can be confirmed by witnesses," – Halina said.

According to her, when employees of the Investigative Committee arrived at the scene, they extracted two bullets, one of them out of the linoleum in the vestibule entrance.

Andrei was wounded in the lung, his mother told. He is now under arrest in a serious, but stable condition in the 432 Main Military Clinical Hospital of the Armed Forces. He came to himself, but can’t talk. The mother is not allowed to see the son.

Ezhednevnik reveals more details of the New Year's Eve shootout in the capital.

A reader informed reporters that the incident happened early in the morning on January 1st. The police received a complaint, that the residents of the block of flats 28 in Zviazda Newspaper Avenue were too noisy and the neighbours couldn’t sleep. The police arrived quickly, as the local police station is situated in the next building.

According to the reader, when the three law enforcement officers arrived, the owner of the flat, which had been complained about, came out to them. Needless to say, the 28-year-old JSC Keramin employee was drunk. No one saw what happened next, as the guests were inside the apartment. But suddenly they heard the shots and ran out into the staircase landing.

According to witnesses, the policeman in a literal sense coolly shot the flat owner. He allegedly made one shot in the back, and the other one – on the legs. At that the policeman, who fired the shot, immediately ran away from the scene, the other two policeman remained.

The victim’s parents and friends are now in shock. They simply cannot understand how that could really happen in the center of Minsk – a man was coolly shot by the police on the New Year's Eve. According to the witnesses, the Keramin employee seemed to be a quiet man, was not skilled at martial arts and was not carrying any weapons. In other words, even if we assume that he began to resist the police, three law enforcement officers could just round up the drunken brawler, without using the firearms.

The Investigative Committee got involved in the investigation. The 28-year-old resident of Minsk appeared to be in the intensive care in serious condition.

Minsk police spokesman Aliaksandr Lastouski told a different version of events.

"According to preliminary information, at 6.40 the police received a complaint about endless noise in the next door building apartment, which didn’t allow to go to sleep. The fact is that the police department, which received a call, was very busy. The people are on calls, so there was no choice, whom to send. A police officer arrived at the scene. The apartment door was opened by a citizen, who immediately began to behave aggressively and inappropriately, hurt the policeman physically and tried to get hold of his service weapon. The police officer reacted. First he made a verbal warning, then he fired a warning shot. The citizen didn’t stop, and then the police officer fired two shots and injured the brawler. As the result, the citizen was taken to a medical institution, operated on and his life is out of danger now. The police officer was taken to MIA hospital with a brain injury. A criminal case under Part 2 Art.363 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (resisting the Interior officers, or any other person who guards the public order) was initiated," – Aliaksandr Lastouski said.