Sergei Pomazun

Case overview

Sergey Pomazun was accused in connection with the Belgorod shooting in Belgorod, Russia. A mass shooting occurred on a street in Belgorod at approximately 2:20 p.m. Moscow time on April 22, 2013.

Timeline

• 22 April 2013 — Sergey Pomazun opened fire near a gun store and on a sidewalk in Belgorod.
• 23 April 2013 — Pomazun was arrested while trying to escape the city; a police officer was wounded while capturing him.
• 23 April 2013 — April 23 and 24 were declared days of mourning in Belgorod Oblast.
• 24 April 2013 — A funeral for victims of the tragedy was held, according to the mayor's office.
• June 26, 2013 — The Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee finished investigating a criminal case against Sergey Pomazun.
• July 23, 2013 — The second day of the trial of the so-called “Belgorod shooter” began amid tight security measures in Belgorod.
• August 6, 2013 — Pomazun told the court he intended to steal weaponry from the store and then kill a supermarket security guard who had insulted him days before.
• August 2013 — The trial of the shooter began.

The offence

Shooting at the gun store and outside

At the gun store “Okhota” (“Hunting”), located at a crossing of Popova Street and Narodny Boulevard, a gunman killed:

• two sales assistants and a visitor at the store,
• three other people outside the store who were walking by.

Among those killed:

• A man and a 14-year-old schoolgirl died on the spot.
• A 16-year-old schoolgirl was wounded and died in a hospital an hour later.
• The four other victims were all males aged between 28 and 45.

After leaving the store, Pomazun escaped from the crime scene in a black BMW X5, which was later abandoned.

Victims and ages

Six people were killed:

• two sales assistants,
• a visitor at the store,
• a man outside the store,
• a 14-year-old schoolgirl outside the store,
• a 16-year-old schoolgirl who died in a hospital an hour later.

Investigation

Weapons and ammunition

On April 22, 2013, Pomazun opened a safe in his house to retrieve his father’s Vepr-308 hunting rifle and at least 144 rounds of ammunition.

He later stole two self-loading hunting rifles Tigr and more than 250 rounds of ammunition.

The gun and the vehicle were both stolen from his father.

The rifle used in the rampage belonged to the shooter's father and was legally registered.

Forensic examinations

More than 50 expert examinations were carried out during the investigation, including:

• genetic,
• traceological,
• forensic,
• medical,
• ballistic,
• biological,
• and a number of others.

The investigative authorities said the results helped restore the fullest picture of what had happened.

Arrest and detention

Apprehension during attempted escape

After an extensive day-long manhunt, Pomazun was apprehended the following night during an attempt to escape the city. He was arrested while trying to leave the city in a freight train.

One police officer was wounded while capturing the suspect. During his arrest, Pomazun stabbed the police officer with a knife and at least four times.

Handling and detention

Pomazun was detained near the Belgorod railway station in the evening of the following day.

He was in temporary detention in a local police station.

Investigative officials said the suspect would be subject to a psychological and psychiatric examination.

Charges and legal proceedings

Charges stated by investigators

Pomazun was charged with murder of two or more persons for hooligan motives, concealing crimes, illegal turnover of weapons, theft of weapons and ammunition, and an attempted murder of a law-enforcement officer.

The Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee stated that Pomazun was charged under:

• paragraphs “a”, “c”, “f”, “i” and “j” of part 2 of article 105 of the RF Criminal Code,
• part 1 of article 222,
• part 1 of article 226,
• paragraph “b” of part 4 of article 226,
• article 317.

The stated article 317 covered “murder of two or more people, including a small child, motivated by hooliganism, with the purpose to conceal another crime; illegal handling of firearms; stealing of ammunitions, committed using violence, dangerous for life and health; encroachment on the life of a law enforcement agent.”

Investigation completion and indictment

On June 26, 2013, the Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee finished investigating the criminal case against Sergey Pomazun.

The case with an approved indictment was forwarded to court to be tried on the merits.

Trial

Start and security measures

The trial began in August 2013.

On July 23, 2013, the second day of the trial began amid tight security measures in Belgorod. The hearing was expected to hear all witnesses before the end of that week.

The prosecutor listed 60 witnesses in the case. The defense had not lodged any petitions yet.

Refusal to apologize and court reprimand

At the first hearing, Pomazun refused to apologize to the victims’ relatives, saying he had no intention to “humiliate himself.”

After he insulted the mother of the girl he had killed, the judge reprimanded him. Pomazun's mother left the court. Pomazun's father did not turn up for the hearing.

Fitness to stand trial and psychiatric matters

Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said the psychiatric expert examination had found Pomazun sane.

More than 50 expert examinations were carried out during the investigation, including genetic, forensic, ballistic and biological.

Pomazun’s lawyers insisted on psychological and psychiatric tests which confirmed that the defendant was sane, though he refused to testify during the investigation.

More than one source stated that Pomazun had been deemed fit to stand trial.

Pomazun’s lawyer argued that Pomazun was schizophrenic and cited the Chechen War reference as grounds to conduct another psychiatric evaluation. Judge Nikolai Kudinov refused the request, stating that the initial evaluation that proved Pomazun mentally stable and fit to stand trial remained in force.

Statements by Sergey Pomazun and courtroom remarks

Confession and stated intent

Pomazun confessed to the crime and told the court that he intended to steal guns from the store and then kill a supermarket security guard who had insulted him days before.

He told the court that the shooting spree was an unplanned and accidental occurrence in the course of “a special operation” that went wrong.

He said the first killing was sparked by what he thought was a plainclothed policeman reaching for a weapon. After that he began indiscriminately shooting people who stood between him and the car.

Quote: RIA Novosti interview (August 6, 2013)

From Sergey Pomazun to the court:

“But a man rushed in my direction holding a hand under his jacket,” the defendant said.
“I thought he was a police officer and that was why the shooting started. … I took the first shot at him and then began shooting at other people to clear my way to my BMW X5 car.”

He also said during detention to police:

He was shooting “into hell.”

Allegations about the Second Chechen War

Pomazun claimed he was used to killing civilians during the Second Chechen War when he served in the military between 1999-2001, first as a conscript with regular army and then as a sharpshooter in a Spetsnaz GRU special forces unit from Grayvoron.

Pomazun also claimed that his GRU battalion participated in special operations in Chechnya and killed nearly a thousand people “all the way from Mozdok to Khasavyurt,” including crushing them with tanks and beheading women and children to intimidate the population.

According to court documents, Pomazun had been only a truck driver in the military and had never been to the North Caucasus.

Pomazun replied that he was serving there on a classified mission upon orders from Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU.

Other individuals and interactions

Aleksander Pomazun (father)

Pomazun’s father, Aleksander Pomazun, told Lifenews:

"He went nuts after 5 years in jail"

The father said that his son was behaving erratically in recent days and had threatened to kill him.

An investigation spokesperson said that the suspect's father had previously called the police twice about the aggressive behavior of his son, but “no punitive measures were undertaken by law enforcement,” and the spokesperson said they were said to “just come and leave asking to inform them in case of a violent action.”

Vladimir Markin (Investigative Committee spokesman)

Irina Sazonova (regional court chairperson aide)

An aide to chairperson of the regional court Irina Sazonova told Itar-Tass that:

“The hearing will be open, an aide to chairperson of the regional court Irina Sazonova told Itar-Tass.”

Sazonova also said:

"The judge will thoroughly question the witnesses in order to find out all the details of what happened."

Nikolai Kudinov (judge)

Judge Nikolai Kudinov refused the request for another psychiatric evaluation, saying the initial evaluation that proved Pomazun mentally stable and fit to stand the trial remained in force.

Elena Kozyrev (investigative official)

Investigative official Elena Kozyrev told RIA that the suspect began to testify and would be subject to a psychological and psychiatric examination.

Aleksander (duplicate quote context)

Social media and reporting included statements that the father of the slain 14-year-old girl could not endure the loss and died, but it also stated that this death had not been officially confirmed.

Aftermath

Mourning and financial assistance

April 23 and 24 were declared days of mourning in Belgorod Oblast.

Authorities promised to give out a million rubles to each of the victims' families.

The city administration agreed to pay the victims’ families 1 million rubles and offered to help arranging funerals.

The city administration agreed to pay the families of the victims 1 million rubles and offered aid in conducting the funerals.

Authorities also covered all the funeral expenses and provided financial aid to the families of the victims.

Russian Emergencies Ministry sent a team of psychologists to the city to help grieving relatives cope with the tragedy.

All churches in Belgorod region were to hold memorial services for those killed in the shooting.

Search operation and public measures

The entire police force of the region went out searching for Pomazun until late hours of April 23.

Hundreds of police were involved in the search, with at least 2,000 police and Special Forces engaged, and officers from neighboring regions dispatched to join.

Police helicopters and jets were reported to be patrolling the area, and border and customs controls were placed on high alert.

Police put out a call for dashboard camera recordings from vehicles near the crime scene.

Special police patrols were assigned to guard kindergartens and schools until the shooter was captured.

Conflicting and disputed elements described in the proceedings and reporting

Conflicting reports about detention during the search

Russia’s authorities initially stated the suspect had been detained, but later said that report had been published by mistake.

The Interior Ministry told Interfax:

“Information on the detention of the suspect has not been confirmed, the Interior Ministry told us two minutes ago,”

and the city administration’s press service provided this statement.

Accusation about number of suspects

There were conflicting reports suggesting there were two suspects in the shooting, with witnesses having seen them according to some media reports. It was also stated that law enforcers said the suspect’s father, Aleksandr Pomazun, was actively cooperating with investigators.

Legal status after trial commencement

The trial of the shooter Sergey Pomazun facing a life sentence began in August 2013.