One person has been killed and six others were injured in a shooting in Yerevan, the Armenian Health Ministry has said.
The Health Ministry told state media outlet Armenpress that according to preliminary information, seven people were hospitalised — three were in extremely critical conditions, while another three were in serious condition.
Armenian authorities are yet to clarify the number of suspects involved and their motives.
According to initial media reports, the number of casualties could be as high as 10 people.
‘The police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are taking urgent operational-investigative measures to clarify all the circumstances of the incident. Additional information will be provided’, Interior Ministry spokesperson Narek Sargsyan told state media outlet Armenpress.
The shootings took place on Wednesday afternoon in Yerevan’s Ajapnyak district. A video that surfaced online shows a group of people shooting at each other in a residential area. The video also shows at least one person being dragged away from a building, with another limping away with the help of other men.
An unnamed witness living next to the crime scene has told News.am that after the shooting happened, ‘a large number of young men’ passed in front of their building’.
‘The children playing in the playground ran away in fear; one of them even fell out of fright’, the witness said.
The person also noted that they saw the shooting from their window, but haven’t seen the faces of the people involved in the incident and could not tell whether or not they were residents of the area.
After the shooting, the Armenia Medical Centre told NEWS.am that seven people were hospitalised at the centre, one of whom had passed away, while two remain in extremely critical conditions. The others are in stable but serious conditions.
‘They are currently in the surgery room. I cannot say more precisely at this moment whether their lives are in danger or not. I also cannot say definitively whether the injuries were caused by gunshots or stab wounds. They appear more like gunshot wounds’, Ashot Kurghinyan, the Deputy Director for Surgery at the medical centre, told NEWS.am.
Shamshyan, which mainly reports on car accidents and crimes, was the first to report on the incident. According to the website, 10 people with gunshot wounds were taken from the scene to various hospitals in Yerevan. At the scene, several shell casings reportedly from an automatic rifle and a handgun were discovered, along with blood-like traces, a knife, and a Lexus vehicle bearing bullet holes.
At present, police officers are working to establish the identities of the injured individuals and the owner of the Lexus. Police Chief Kamo Tsutsulyan is also at the scene.
According to Shamshyan, a criminal proceeding has been initiated against a group of individuals ‘on charges of attempted murder, as well as illegal possession, carrying, and use of weapons and ammunition’.
This is a developing story.
