The man detained yesterday after opening fire in a park area in the city of Uzhgorod turned out to be a 47-year-old repeat offender who opened fire on police during his arrest, reported the Communication Department of the National Police in Zakarpattia region.
"During the arrest, the man offered armed resistance and fired shots toward the police officers… The detainee is a 47-year-old resident of Uzhgorod district who has been repeatedly held criminally liable in the past. It is also known that the man is a person with a disability established due to a mental disorder," according to a statement on the website of the National Police of Ukraine.
During investigative actions, police seized a combat pistol and ammunition from the detainee. According to preliminary statements by the suspect, he had stolen the weapon the day before. Law enforcement officers are currently verifying this information and determining the origin of the seized pistol.
According to available National Police records, the weapon is unregistered and is not listed as stolen.
According to the report, the suspect has been placed in a temporary detention facility. Investigators from Uzhgorod District Police Department, under the procedural guidance of the district prosecutor’s office, qualify his actions under Art. 348 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (encroachment on the life of a law enforcement officer).
A pre-trial investigation in the case is ongoing.
As reported, on Friday around 18.30, several children approached police officers in Uzhgorod. They reported hearing gunshot sounds and seeing a suspicious man in the Shakhtynsky Forest area.
Police officers immediately dispatched to the scene, and during a search of the area, more shots were heard. A special police operation was launched to detain the armed man. Additional police forces were deployed to fulfill the task, including fighters from the KORD special operations unit.
While combing the area, criminal police operatives located the suspect. Thanks to professional and coordinated actions by law enforcement officers, he was detained; no one was injured.
