Two Ukrainian police officers suspended after fleeing Kyiv shooting scene

KYIV. Two security officers have been suspended on charges of fleeing a shooting incident in Kyiv that left six people dead. Ukraine's Interior Minister said on Sunday, “They have been suspended and an investigation has been launched after they were seen running away in a video circulated online.”

A gunman opened fire and took people hostage at a supermarket in a residential district of the Ukrainian capital on Saturday. A video posted by Ukrainian media shows two police officers in uniform and yellow vests standing next to a person on the ground, followed by the sound of gunfire.

“This is a disgrace to the entire security system and is shameful, incompetent behavior. They have been suspended, and an investigation is underway,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on Telegram.

Klymenko also urged people not to generalize about the entire police force based on the actions of two employees. Police have not been able to determine the cause of the shooting, but Klymenko stated that the attacker's mental state was clearly unstable.

“We must investigate how the attacker obtained the medical certificate required to renew his gun permit,” Klymenko added. Ukraine, which has been under full-scale invasion by Russia since 2022, has seen sporadic shooting incidents, but the crime rate remains relatively low.