A man told a court that he shot street dogs.
The Zakarpattia court acquitted a local resident who shot at children. The incident happened in the spring of 2021 in the village of Sobatyn. The accused, while driving a minibus, shot several times from a gun at children who were playing on the street. According to the police, the driver fired five shots. In court, the man explained that he committed the shooting in order to disperse street dogs. During the court session, the children said that the driver started shooting after one of the boys threw a stone in the direction of the minibus.
As noted in the verdict of the Irshavy District Court, the shooting took place late in the evening of May 10, 2021. Then Ivan Kiniv, a resident of the village of Zarechya, while driving a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, shot from the window of the minibus towards the children who were playing on the street in the village of Sobatyn. According to the police, the driver fired five shots without stopping the bus.
During the trial, Ivan Kiniv fully admitted his guilt and explained that that evening he was driving workers home to the village of Sobatyn, on the side of the road he saw dogs gnawing at each other, pulled out a gun and shot them. The driver claimed that he did not notice other people on the street. The man was detained already in the neighboring village, after the appeal of the children’s relatives, who witnessed the shooting.
In court, one of the boys who were playing on the street that evening said that the minibus driver started shooting at the children after one of the boys threw a stone at the car. The children were frightened by the shots, ran home and told their parents what had happened. However, during the trial, the victims stated that they had no complaints against the accused and asked not to punish him severely.
Therefore, the judge of the Irshavy District Court, Marianna Peterskikh, found Ivan Kiniv guilty of Part 4 of Art. 296 of the CCU (hooliganism with the use of firearms), sentenced him to three years of imprisonment, but released him from the punishment, appointing a year of probation. In addition, the accused must reimburse UAH 2.9 thousand for conducting examinations. The verdict can be appealed in the appeals court within 30 days.
