One Arrested in Armed Incident in Vanadzor, Investigative Committee Says

The Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia is conducting an examination to clarify the circumstances surrounding the armed incident that occurred in the city of Vanadzor. One person has been arrested.

According to preliminary data, on October 4, 2019, at 23:55, the police received a call from the Vanadzor Medical Center reporting that a group of doctors had been dispatched to one of the houses on Michurini Street, where the bodies of two young men were discovered. It was also reported that several young individuals with various bodily injuries were transported to the Vanadzor Medical Center.

An investigative-operational group immediately headed to the scene. In the basement of a house on Michurini Street, the bodies of two young men born in 1989 were found with gunshot wounds. Six residents from the same address in the Lori region were transferred to the Vanadzor Medical Center with various bodily injuries. One of them, a young man born in 1994, died on the way to the hospital.

A criminal case has been initiated in the Lori regional investigative department under the first point of part 2 of Article 104 and the features of part 1 of Article 235 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. An investigative group has been formed, and an investigative plan has been developed. The scene was examined, and blood-like traces were discovered, and samples were collected. A 'Makarov' type pistol, 6 cartridges 5.45 mm, 2 bullets, 4 cartridges 9 mm, 2 bullets, a 9 mm gas cartridge, and 2 similar cartridges in a magazine were found. Knives and dried substances resembling cannabis plants were also discovered. The clothing worn by the deceased at the time of the incident, which had blood-like traces on it, was confiscated. Samples of the projectile remains were collected. Several examinations have been assigned to clarify significant circumstances related to the criminal case.

In connection with the case, a resident of Vanadzor, born in 1979, has been arrested on suspicion of committing murder, and he has provided a self-incriminating testimony.

Urgent investigative and operational-search measures are being undertaken to clarify the circumstances of the incident, to identify the actions of the participants, and to assess the criminal liability of each individual's actions. The preliminary investigation is ongoing.

Source: Public Relations Department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia
Photo: Gagik Shamshyan