Kyiv Shooting Leaves Seven Dead; Police Chief Resigns

Seven people were killed, including one hostage, and at least 14 others injured in a mass shooting in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district on April 18. The suspect, identified as a Russian-born man with ties to the Donetsk region, took hostages inside a convenience store before being shot by police.

The attack began when the suspect set fire to an apartment and then went out into the street armed with a weapon. He fatally shot four people on the street and another woman died in hospital from her injuries. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the attacker had a prior criminal record.

Ukraine’s special tactical police units stormed the convenience store after attempts to negotiate with the gunman failed. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that officers tried without success to contact the suspect for 40 minutes. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is investigating the incident as a potential terrorist act.

The shooting occurred amidst widespread Russian attacks across northern and eastern Ukraine, including strikes on port infrastructure in Odesa and an attack in Mykolaivka that left one person dead. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that those injured included a child whose parents were killed in the shooting. The child is reported to be in moderate condition.

Eight people remain hospitalized, with four adults reportedly in critical condition. The supermarket where the hostage situation occurred has been cordoned off and remains closed. Bullet holes are visible in windows of the supermarket, and blood stains can still be seen on the pavement and asphalt. Flowers were left near a residential building a couple of hundred meters from the supermarket, where the shooter shot his first victims.

The head of Ukraine's patrol police, Yevhen Zhukov, has resigned after two officers faced criticism for allegedly fleeing the scene during the shooting. Footage shared online appears to show officers leaving civilians and running away from the scene. The officers have been suspended pending an investigation into their actions. President Zelenskyy accused them of 'inaction' and stated that a criminal case was being handled by Ukraine's national investigations bureau.

The gunman has been identified as a 58-year-old man originally from Moscow but living in the Holosiivskyi district prior to the shooting. He had previously lived in the Donetsk region, which is largely under Russian occupation. The weapon used in the attack was officially registered, and authorities are investigating how he obtained the necessary documents to renew his license.