Armen Hovhannisyan Arrested Over Gunfire Incident in Nigavan

Armen Hovhannisyan, a 32-year-old man, has been arrested in connection with the recent gunfire incident in the Aparan community. According to News.am, Hovhannisyan hails from the Dzoraglukh community in the Aragatsotn region.

Media reports also suggest the involvement of Hovhannisyan's brother, Haik Hovhannisyan, in the incident. Earlier, the Investigative Committee reported that Armen and his brother had used their vehicle to honk at an 'Infinity' car in Aparan around 10:30 PM on Saturday night, overtook it, and stopped the vehicle before arguing with the driver. A group of local residents intervened in the dispute.

The following day, seeking to continue the argument, Armen, along with his brother and several others, returned to Aparan. There, they confronted one of the individuals who had intervened in their prior dispute at a gas station and assaulted him. Later that evening, the altercation resumed near a dump site in the village of Nigavan, during which Hovhannisyan fired gunshots from his weapon towards the individuals he was arguing with.

Two residents of Aparan were transferred to the medical center with gunshot wounds and later died, while five others were admitted to medical centers in Yerevan. Reports indicate that the brothers are relatives of MP Matevos Asatryan from the Civil Contract faction and Edgar Parvanyan, the Deputy Governor from the ruling party in Aragatsotn. The altercation reportedly began after youngsters from Aparan insulted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Additionally, there are claims that the shots were fired not from a hunting rifle, as stated by police, but from an assault rifle similar to a Kalashnikov.

MP Matevos Asatryan denied any involvement of himself or his family in the incident on his Facebook page, and Deputy Governor Edgar Parvanyan also labeled these claims as false.

All seven affected individuals, including the deceased, were from Aparan. The deceased were 27-year-old Hamik Mikayelyan and Tigran Harutyunyan, both of whom were unmarried. Hamik worked at one of the Ministry of Defense's military units, while Tigran was employed at the 'Gntunik' food center in Aparan and was related to the community's mayor, Karen Yeghiazaryan.

18-year-old Hratchya Yeremyan and Tigran Ghazaryan, who were classmates, were also injured in the incident and are currently hospitalized. According to locals, Hratchya was set to be drafted into the army in two days, while Tigran, being an orphan, was exempted from military service and is under the care of his grandmother. The other two injured individuals, also residents of Aparan, were reported to be 32-year-old Sasun Hayrapetyan and 33-year-old Armen Baghdasaryan.

A criminal case has been initiated under Article 104, Part 2, Section 6 (Murder committed in a manner dangerous to many) and Article 235, Part 1 (Illegal acquisition, transfer, storage, transportation, or carrying of weapons, ammunition, explosive substances, or explosive devices) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia.