Police shot at people in Mahilou

Policemen initiated fire at a crowd of fighting Mahilou residents.

The incident took place yesterday in the Aviatarau Street. Government-issue weapons were used by the officers of the Criminal Investigation Department, MIA’s press-service reports.

“On Saturday, 2 November 2013, two officers of Mahilou Lenin district’s police department went on duty for taking preventive measures for robberies from cars and its dismantling. At half past two at night in the area of a garage cooperative Lada-2008 they noticed a crowd of fighting citizens”, - the statement says.

The policemen passed the information on the fight to the police department, approached the offenders and, having introduced themselves, demanded to stop the illegal actions.

“In response they started threatening and expressing the intent to use physical force. The offenders did not react to repeated legal demands to stop and warnings that weapon could be used. Moreover, two of the fight’s participants attacked one of the officers and beat him with a stick and hands”, - the official statement says.

For suppressing the illegal actions the police officers used the weapons, having made nine warning shots and then three aimed shots at the fighting people.

Riot police that arrived at the site of the incident detained the fight’s participants.

The police officer diagnosed with a cerebral injury was taken to a hospital. Two locals were also taken to the hospital with bullet wounds in thighs, ankles and inguinal area. Now there is no threat to their lives. A watchpost has been set in the hospital, where the incident’s victims are kept.

An investigative operational group has inspected the site of the incident with the use of the performance capabilities of the Investigatory Committee for Mahilou region. In the course of inspection real evidence were picked and attached to the case. They are currently being examined by investigators and experts.

Mahilou inter-district department of the Investigatory Committee of the Republic of Belarus has brought criminal charges against Mahilou residents born in 1985 and 1986. They are charged with violating the article 364 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus – use of violence against a law enforcer.