Man Fatally Stabs 1, Attacks 8 Others On Street, Search Underway For Suspect

At least one person is dead and eight others injured in a stabbing incident in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region Sunday (June 21).

According to a news release by the Office of the Prosecutor General, the incident took place at a cafe in the village of Irshansk.

“According to preliminary information, a conflict arose between a previously convicted local resident and a visitor to the cafe, the causes and circumstances of which are being established. The men left the cafe, where the attacker stabbed the victim. Subsequently, the citizen stabbed 8 more people who were trying to calm him down. After the crime, the attacker fled the scene in a car,” the news release stated.

All nine victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. One of them didn’t respond to the treatment and succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Seven others were being treated and one of the victims has since been discharged. Meanwhile, the unidentified accused remained as large as of Sunday night and investigation into the case was ongoing.

“The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings is being conducted by the Khoroshiv Police Department of the Korostyshiv Police Department of the State Unitary Enterprise of the National Police in the region. Currently, investigative actions are being carried out to establish the circumstances of the crime, measures are being taken to establish the person's whereabouts, and a report of suspicion is being prepared. The pre-trial investigation is under the control of the Zhytomyr Oblast Prosecutor's Office,” the news release stated.

In October last year, Anzhelika Belova, an activist from the Romani community, was stabbed in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region. Belova was returning home from a local store after shopping when she was stabbed several times near her residence. She was rushed to a local hospital where she underwent emergency surgery and was listed stable. The unidentified attacker was also taken into custody the day after the incident. The motive behind the crime was, however, not clear. The Romani are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas.