National Police of UkraineA teenage girl has been arrested after allegedly shooting a gun range instructor following a fight with her boyfriend.
Veronika Motorina, 18, has been accused of killing 64-year-old Igor Smolyaninov at a shooting range in the Ukrainian city of Poltava.
Police arrived at the scene on Friday, February 7, after receiving calls an instructor had been fatally shot.
National Police of UkraineLocal media report Motorina went to Object 7.62 shooting gallery ‘to cool down and relax’ after having a fight with her boyfriend, who she had reportedly accused of cheating on her.
The teen is said to have been a frequent visitor to the shooting range, and on Friday she practised shooting targets with a Glock pistol, before switching to an AK-74 assault rifle.
Later, Motorina apparently requested a Margolin pistol from Smolyaninov, to which the instructor obliged, presumably thinking the teen simply wanted to practise with another gun.
National Police of UkraineHowever, instead of continuing to fire at targets, Motorina allegedly pointed the gun at the instructor and shot him in the head and the heart before throwing her gun away and fleeing the scene.
Other staff at the shooting range called the authorities and paramedics arrived at the firing range, but by that point Smolyaninov was already dead.
A forensic examination revealed the instructor had died on the spot.
National Police of UkraineA press release from the National Police of Ukraine stated an investigative team determined the 18-year-old visitor to be responsible for the fatal injuries. Motorina was arrested and taken into custody about an hour after the shooting occurred.
The teen was suspected of premeditated murder; a crime which carries a sentence of seven to 15 years in prison.
Police launched a murder case and Motorina was ordered into a pre-trial detention jail for a two month period while the investigation is underway.
National Police of UkraineSpeaking about the case, as per the Mail Online, police spokesperson Yury Sulaev said:
Paramedics tried to revive the victim but he died on the spot after receiving severe gunshot wounds.
Police have enough evidence to charge the 18-year-old suspect with premeditated murder.
The suspect is being interrogated by detectives at the moment.
At a court hearing on Saturday, Motorina reportedly told local media she ‘did not want [Smolyaninov] to die’. Her boyfriend told law enforcement Motorina was ’emotionally unstable and regularly expressed a wish to kill someone’.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.