Arrest Made in Aparam Murder Case: Details Emerge

On Sunday, June 19, the media was flooded with reports about a murder that took place in Aparam. Rumors spread that relatives of an official from the ruling party and a deputy shot and killed individuals who were insulting Prime Minister Pashinyan. The police quickly began to deny these claims, stating that the incident had no political context and stemmed from domestic disputes.

The next day, the Investigative Committee issued a statement indicating that, according to the evidence gathered, on June 18, 2022, at around 10:30 PM, a 32-year-old resident of Yerevan, along with his brother, honked at an Infiniti vehicle while driving in the city of Aparam, bypassed it, and stopped the car. They then approached the driver to discuss a driving issue, which led to an intervention by a group of residents from Aparam. This conversation escalated into an argument that continued at the beginning of Aparam.

To continue the discussion, on June 19, the 32-year-old man, his brother, and several others went to a gas station in Aparam, where they encountered one of the individuals who had intervened the previous day and assaulted him. The discussion continued around 7:30 PM in an area adjacent to the Nigavan village landfill, during which the 32-year-old man fired shots from his firearm at the individuals he was arguing with. As a result, two residents from Aparam, aged 27, were hospitalized with gunshot wounds but later died in the hospital, while five others were taken to medical facilities.

After the tragic incident, rumors circulated that one of the deceased was the nephew of Aparam community mayor Karen Yeghiazaryan, who worked as a manager at the well-known 'Gntunyk' supermarket. According to both the Investigative Committee and rumors in the media, the shooter is a resident of Yerevan. According to 'Hraparak', the shooter's name is Hayk, and he is originally from the village of Dzoraglukh in the Aragatsotn Province, but has been living in Yerevan for many years. The statement from the Investigative Committee indicates that the youths met at a gas station operating at the beginning of Aparam.

This gas station is owned by Edgard Parvanyan, the deputy governor of Aragatsotn Province. Hrayr Karapetyan, the mayor of Dzoraglukh village, confirmed the information that the shooter is 32-year-old Hayk Hovhannisyan, whose family moved and has been living in Yerevan for several years.