Shooting with Machine Guns, Rifles, and Pistols at the Cemetery: Case in Court

On June 13, 2021, around 7:00 PM, a group of residents from Ararat city met at the cemetery in the Goravan community to clarify personal issues they had previously regarding each other. Armed with various firearms, during the arguments that arose, a shooting began. Additional details have been provided by the Armenian Investigative Committee.

According to the Armenian Investigative Committee’s Vedi investigative department, substantial investigative and procedural actions were conducted in the criminal case regarding a murder and attempted murder that happened around a year ago at the cemetery in Goravan. The circumstances, including motives, have been identified, along with the identities of two individuals who committed the crime and 11 individuals present during the armed incident. Among them, four are residents of Ararat city, two are from Vedi city, four from Goravan, and one from Nor Kyanq community.

As part of the pre-trial proceedings, necessary measures were taken to identify the actions of the aforementioned individuals present at the scene, to which legal assessments were given. According to the data collected during the investigation, on June 13, 2021, around 7:00 PM, a group of residents from Ararat city, armed with various firearms including machine guns, automatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols, met at the Goravan cemetery to clarify personal issues. During the ensuing altercation, a firefight broke out and several dozen shots were fired with the intention to kill each other, putting many lives at risk. As a result, one participant suffered fatal injuries, while another sustained serious harm.

Following extensive investigative activities, the identities of those who inflicted gunshot wounds on the victims were identified as residents of Ararat city, aged 34 and 39. Based on sufficient evidence, the 34-year-old man was charged under Article 104, Part 2, Points 6 and 7 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, while his 39-year-old companion was also charged under the same article and Article 235, Part 1. Pre-trial detention was applied to both individuals.

The investigative authority has separated them and notified them of the completion of the pre-trial investigation. The criminal case has now been submitted to court with an accusatory conclusion. During the investigation conducted at the crime scene, numerous vehicles with gunshot wounds were discovered at the identified cemetery, along with 44 pieces of 7.62x54mm ammunition, 12 pieces of 7.62x39mm ammunition, 1 piece of 7.62x54mm ammunition, 6 hunting cartridges, fragments, plastic particles, as well as a knife and traces of blood.

Measures are underway to discover the firearms used in the crime, their sources of acquisition, and to identify possibly other participants in the shootout. The investigation continues on the disconnected part of the case.