Zhukov on police officers who fled during terrorist attack: They behaved disgracefully; they should have opened fire on attacker immediately
Patrol officers should have immediately opened fire to neutralize the threat during the terrorist attack in Kyiv.
This was stated by Patrol Police Chief Yevhev Zhukov during a briefing, according to a correspondent for Censor.NET.
What is known?
According to him, the patrol officers who fled during the terrorist attack acted unprofessionally and disgracefully.
"They responded to the call. They were supposed to help and rescue our citizens. They failed to assess the situation properly and left wounded civilians in danger."
"I want to emphasize that this is a truly shameful incident. An internal investigation will be conducted. All supervisors will be held accountable for these actions. All supervisors who are currently in charge of these two police officers," Zhukov stressed.
At the same time, he said, it is unfair to draw conclusions based on the actions of individual police officers and speak for the entire police force.
The head of the patrol police also said that the officers arrived at the scene and parked their car near the house.
"They ran over at the sound of the screams. There was a child and a woman sitting there, and a man lying on the ground. Their first priority was to assess the situation. A colleague approached the child and said he had a head injury. They decided to run back to the car to get the first-aid kit. As soon as they turned around, the shooting started."
"The woman was screaming that there was a man with a gun in the building. Shots rang out, and they reacted instinctively—they didn't know where the shots were coming from, so they started running toward their car," he added.
Did the patrol officers use their weapons?
"Unfortunately, he did not use his weapon. Both civilians and police officers were in danger. He should have drawn his weapon and fired a warning shot into the air, but if there was a threat, he should have used it. However, that was his judgment call, and, unfortunately, he did not use it," said Zhukov.
What is known about the patrol officers?
"The man, who was a police officer, has been on the job since 2024. He’s a fairly inexperienced officer. His colleague has been on the job since 2015. She worked alongside him on the patrol. Maybe she had more experience, but things turned out the way they did...," he added.
Shooting in Kyiv
- As a reminder, on April 18 in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv, an unknown assailant opened fire on people. He then burst into a supermarket and took hostages.
- He was killed during his arrest.
- According to the latest reports, there are 6 confirmed deaths and more than 10 people injured.
- An investigation has been launched under the section on terrorist acts.
The police officers' escape
- It was previously reported that police officers fled after shots were fired, leaving the victim of the terrorist attack in Kyiv without assistance: Klymenko is demanding an internal investigation.
- Vyhivskyi announced that the police officers who fled during the terrorist attack in Kyiv have been suspended. An internal investigation has been launched.
- According to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, a case has been opened against police officers for official negligence during the terrorist attack in Kyiv.
