Kyiv, February 18, 2016. Prosecutors served the patrol officer with charges of killing a BMW passenger in the car pursuit in Kyiv on February 7, said Anatoliy Matios, Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine – Chief Military Prosecutor, at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “Today, Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office served an inspector of patrol police department in Kyiv with charges of a crime envisaged by Part 3 Art. 365 – the abuse of power, resulting in grave consequences; Part 2 P.5 Art.115 – attempted murder, committed in a manner dangerous to the lives of many people; and Part 1 Art. 115 – murder, of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” said Anatoliy Matios.
According to him, the investigation proved that, during the pursuit of BMW, the police officer had been clearly aware that there were three more people in it, in addition to the driver-offender. “Despite this, the patrol officer decided to use a service firearm, and, as a result, made a shot toward the car and expressed the intention to commit the killing, which is also a proven fact and is recorded,” noted Matios.
He also said that while pursuing the car in areas where there may be some other people, one of the police officers made 14 shots from the service guns. Later, this patrol officer made four more shots toward the car. “When the BMW car stopped in Sirko Street in Kyiv, the police officer ran up to him and made a shot very close to the driver’s left glass. This shot was, unfortunately, fatal for one of the passengers, a young Mr. Medvedev,” stated Anatoliy Matios. According to the findings of forensic medical examination, the bullet hit the victim in his back when he was sitting in the front passenger seat. He tried to dodge the shots, turned away from the police officer toward the passenger door with his back to the officer, specified the Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
After those shots the car began back run. The police officer made five more shots to the front part of the car and to the windshield on the passenger side. Matios pointed out that while moving back, the car did not create any threat to life and health of the police. “All in all, the police officer unleashed 2 magazine chargers from his service gun while pursuing the BMW car with 4 people in it. He made 25 out of 28 shots,” he informed. The investigation determined that the police officers made overall 37 shots to this vehicle from three guns. Anatoliy Matios provided a video of the chase on February 7. Video was taken from the DVR of patrol inspector Oliynik, who is suspected of committing a crime.
Anatoliy Matios emphasized that the real cause of this tragedy is the driver who was driving under the influence of drugs. Criminal proceedings in the case of a driver are conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said the Deputy Prosecutor General. “We should all be aware that, pardon me the slang, such a “junked-up rich kid”, who was driving, are be penalized at most and quickly by the state, society and law,” stated Anatoliy Matios. He also added that on February 18, the Kyiv Pechersk Court considers the investigator’s petition for choosing of preventive punishment for the patrol inspector.
