The head of Ukraine’s police patrol force is out of a job after a mass shooting in Kyiv raised questions about how his officers responded. Patrol Chief Yevhen Zhukov resigned Sunday, a day after a gunman killed six people and wounded 14 in the southern Holosiivskyi district, then took hostages in a supermarket before being shot to death by officers. Video circulating online appears to show two patrol officers retreated, running from the gunfire and leaving civilians exposed; they’ve been suspended while their actions are investigated, the BBC reports. “As a combat officer, I have decided to submit a report for dismissal from the position I hold,” Zhukov said, per the Kiev Independent. “I think it will be fair.”
Interior Minister Igor Klymenko stressed the episode shouldn’t tarnish the entire force but called for “professional actions” when lives are on the line. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the officers “did not stop the murderer, and fled on their own,” adding that a criminal case has been opened into their conduct and prior service. Zhukov described the officers’ actions as “shameful.” Authorities said the 58-year-old attacker, originally from Moscow and long a resident in Kyiv, set fire to his apartment before the rampage; his weapon was legally registered, and officials are now looking into how he was able to keep his gun license. Eight wounded victims are still hospitalized, several in serious condition.