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Gunman Opens Fire in Kyiv Supermarket, Kills Six Before Being Shot by Police

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A heavy armored tactical vehicle is staged directly outside the entrance of the “Velmart” supermarket, where KORD special forces successfully stormed the building to eliminate the hostage-taker. (Source: Hromadske)
A heavy armored tactical vehicle is staged directly outside the entrance of the “Velmart” supermarket, where KORD special forces successfully stormed the building to eliminate the hostage-taker. (Source: Hromadske)

EDITOR’S NOTE: This report contains graphic images that may be disturbing.

UPDATE: Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko reported that the gunman in Kyiv was killed during his arrest.

“Special forces from the National Police’s KORD unit stormed the store where the attacker was located. He had taken people hostage and fired at police officers during the arrest. Prior to this, negotiators had attempted to make contact with him, ‘ he wrote.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that number of people killed by the gunman has risen to six, with ten more hospitalized.

The shooter was a 58-year-old man originally from Moscow, according to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko.

An unknown gunman opened fire on civilians in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv, prompting a massive police response and a special operation to apprehend the shooter, the Kyiv Police reported on April 18.

According to preliminary information provided by law enforcement, at least six people have been killed and several others, including a child have been wounded in the attack. Authorities are currently on the ground working to clarify the exact number of casualties.

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The gunman then took hostages and barricaded himself inside the “Velmart” supermarket.

Patrol police units and the elite KORD (Rapid Operational Response Unit) special forces have been urgently dispatched to the scene to neutralize the threat, secure the area, and hunt down the perpetrator.

Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) special forces stand near a rapid response ambulance in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district as emergency medical teams treat victims of the deadly mass shooting. (Source: Hromadske)
Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) special forces stand near a rapid response ambulance in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district as emergency medical teams treat victims of the deadly mass shooting. (Source: Hromadske)
A bullet hole pierces the shattered glass facade of the supermarket, revealing an abandoned child’s scooter inside. (Source: Hromadske)
A bullet hole pierces the shattered glass facade of the supermarket, revealing an abandoned child’s scooter inside. (Source: Hromadske)

“According to medical officials, two people have been killed so far in the Holosiivskyi district. Five people injured in the street shooting have been admitted to hospitals in the capital. Among them is one child, as well as a security guard from the supermarket where the shooter burst in and is currently holed up,” Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported.

This is a developing story. We will continue to monitor the situation and update this page as more information from law enforcement becomes available.

Just months prior, the SBU thwarted another armed incident when they caught a Russian FSB agent red-handed attempting to assassinate a Ukrainian military intelligence officer in central Kyiv. The operative, who had retrieved a pistol and ammunition from a hidden weapons cache in the city, was arrested the exact moment he drew his weapon in a public venue.

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