Seven Dead in Kyiv Shooting Sparked by Neighbor Dispute
Saturday's shooting in Kyiv, which killed seven people, was preceded by a long-running dispute between neighbors, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. On the day of the attack, the gunman argued with a neighbor before opening fire on passers-by.
Klymenko said the attacker first fired a pistol at the entrance to a residential building, then returned to his apartment, took a rifle, set the apartment on fire and went out into the street. He subsequently barricaded himself in a supermarket with hostages before being shot dead by police.
The minister said the man had recorded events on a dictaphone, apparently for use in his own defense, and suggested he may not have originally intended to shoot.
The attack has provoked a strong reaction in Ukraine, not least because such incidents are rare there. Criticism has also been directed at two patrolling police officers filmed fleeing the scene. According to Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda, the entire leadership of the Kyiv patrol police was removed from their posts following the incident.