A number of forensic tests are being conduced in connection with an incident involving Ukrainian parliament deputy Serhiy Pashynsky (People’s Front Party MP) on the road from Vasylkivsky district in Kyiv region. All participants in incident have been identified, and MP Pashynsky’s pistol and ammunition have been seized.
Head of Kyiv region’s Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) Dmytro Chibisov on Tuesday told journalists that four individuals were involved in the incident: MP Pashynsky and his wife, who were traveling in a Mercedes sedan, and two men riding in a Volkswagen sedan.
The prosecutor said the incident happened because the Volkswagen was parked on an unlit road and the Mercedes needed to pass. Emergency lights were not turned on in the Volkswagen.
“During the subsequent exchange of words (between passengers of the cars), MP Pashynsky used a Glock 19 pistol with 9-mm shells. As a result, the passenger in the Volkswagen was hospitalized and remains in the hospital,” Chibisov said.
The prosecutor said all necessary investigative steps are being taken, including forensic and ballistic tests.
“Our goal is to conduct an impartial investigation,” Chibisov said.
According to the prosecutor, the incident is being investigated as hooliganism, a preliminary qualification.
“We are now establishing all the facts. As a result of concrete, precise determination of all the actions of those involved, we will be able to say exactly what crime was committed,” Chibisov said.
Asked whether Pashynsky is licensed to carry a weapon, the prosecutor said, “He is licensed to carry a weapon. It has been seized, along with ammunition.” He added that requests have been sent to confirm the MP was licensed to carry the firearm.
“At the present time all individuals involved in the incident are being questioned,” the prosecutor said.
The press service of Kyiv region’s PGO office sent out a press release after the press conference saying the driver of the Volkswagen bus is not a suspect in the crime, but a witness.
“Media have reported that the driver of the bus involved in the incident with the MP is suspected of assaulting the MP. Kyiv region’s PGO officially states that he has the status of a witness, not a suspect, in the criminal investigation registered by Kyiv region’s police into suspected hooliganism. We note the qualification of the legal infraction is tentative and may be changed during the pretrial investigation,” the notice says.
