«Running for the first-aid kit or running away?»: Head of National Police explains patrol officers’ actions during Holosiiv shooting, SBI takes up the case

«Running for the first-aid kit or running away?»: Head of National Police explains patrol officers’ actions during Holosiiv shooting, SBI takes up the case

Head of the National Police Ivan Vyhivskyi described the sequence of events of the shooting incident in Kyiv’s Holosiiv district on April 18. It has been established that the conflict started due to a domestic dispute: first, the shooter fired at a neighbor with a traumatic pistol, then returned to the apartment, set it on fire, and took combat weapons. At the same time, the head of the National Police tried to justify the patrol officers who shamefully fled the scene. He claims that in fact no one was running away, and the "runners" were simply "walking" to get a first-aid kit to help the injured child.

Vyhivskyi reported this during a briefing on April 19.

According to him, the call to the police came at 16:32 — the statement concerned a conflict between citizens on the street. However, on the way, the patrol officers were informed about the presence of a shooter at the scene.

"When the call came in, this person already had a traumatic pistol on him. He fired in the direction of the neighbor with whom he had a conflict. Then he ran into his apartment, took other weapons, with which he headed to the supermarket, and set fire to the dwelling. We have clearly recorded all this chronologically," — stated Vyhivskyi.

Despite the public resonance, the head of the National Police defends the patrol officers who simply fled after the shots. He assures that the law enforcement officers were not fleeing, but allegedly heading to the car for a first-aid kit.

According to Vyhivskyi, the patrol officers, responding to the call, did not realize the scale of the situation. Upon arriving at the scene, they heard shots, left the service vehicle near the building, and ran to the entrance. There was a child with a woman, and also a wounded man lying there. Vyhivskyi explains the shameful escape as follows: the policewoman approached the child with a head injury and planned to return to the car for the first-aid kit. Then a shot rang out, and the patrol officers ran to the vehicle. It is this episode, emphasizes the head of the National Police, that was captured by the cameras, and the video spread on social networks.

"In this situation, the police officers were standing near the child. Then they reported via radio to the duty officer for the city, who reported to the head of the Main Directorate in Kyiv. In such cases, we immediately initiate a special operation, and it was initiated," — explained Vyhivskyi.

He clarified that meanwhile the shooter began to move, and the patrol officers near the child heard shots. According to Vyhivskyi, the law enforcement officers did not know from which side and who was shooting.

At the same time, Vyhivskyi admits: the patrol officers should have made a warning shot into the air or used weapons if there was a threat, but they did not. The two police officers whose run was seen by the whole country have been suspended from duty. One has been working in the police since 2024, the other — since 2015. The State Bureau of Investigations has registered a criminal case regarding their actions on suspicion of official negligence that led to serious consequences. They face from 2 to 5 years of imprisonment.