Media: Security guard wounded in Karavan undergoes surgery, condition critical

The security guard that was wounded in a shooting in the Karavan shopping mall in Kyiv on Wednesday, September 26, has undergone surgery at the Kyiv Emergency Hospital, according to TSN news program.

"The wounded man was taken to the intensive care department after surgery. No one is allowed to visit him," TSN said.

The man was wounded in his stomach and neck and is in a critical condition, according to the TV program.

An article in the Thursday issue of the Komsomolskaya Pravda v Ukraine newspaper reads that the security guard was seriously wounded in his chest and neck. The man needed blood transfusions after surgery.

At the same time, the Segodnya newspaper reported referring to its sources in the police that the robber, who killed three security guards, shot eight bullets.

"The security guards were unable to protect themselves, as they had no right to bear arms," reads the newspaper.

The newspaper's source also did not rule out that the robber was a serviceman or a police officer. To all appearances, his gun has been used many times and obviously not for training, reads the newspaper.

"The experts also discovered that the man's gun was loaded, which means that the gun was ready to be fired at any moment. Only experienced shooters do this," the newspaper said, quoting its source.

As reported, the robber shot dead three employees of a private security firm and seriously wounded another one in the Karavan shopping mall in Kyiv on Wednesday afternoon. One of the security guards saw a visitor stealing a USB flash drive from a glass case. The guard asked the man to go to the back room, where other guards were waiting. In the room the man pulled out a gun and started shooting, killing three security guards on the spot and seriously wounding a fourth one. The attacker then fled the scene.

The Obolon District Police Office has opened a criminal case on the incident.

According to the Komsomolskaya Pravda v Ukraine newspaper, the killer came to the cash desk with a loaf of bread in his hand. When the security guards took him to the room he suddenly took out the gun and started shooting, after which he left the shopping mall with the loaf of bread.

Karavan security service chief was among the men shot dead by the robber, reads the newspaper. Executive Director of Karavan Serhiy Kyslenko promised Hr 100,000 for assistance in finding the criminal.

The article also reads that, according to some employees of the shopping mall, the stealing of a USB flash drive was just a pretense, and it was not a spontaneous shooting, but a planned murder by an experienced gunman.