The incident in southern Lithuania, in the Alytus district, involved Latvian citizen Viktors Konopeļkins, who died at the scene.
The State Police received a call on Wednesday, July 9th, that people had been found dead in an apartment in Pļavnieki with signs of violent death. It was determined that the crime had been committed the previous day, July 8th.
The identity of the alleged perpetrator – a man – was established, as was the vehicle he was travelling in, and the fact that he had left Latvia in the car. As part of international cooperation, the information was immediately sent to all European Union member states.
Initially, the Lithuanian police recorded the vehicle’s movement on the territory of Lithuania using technical means, after which on Thursday, July 10, the Lithuanian police initiated detention measures, which resulted in an intense operation with a chase and the use of firearms. The detention operation was coordinated with Latvia.
Information available to the Latvian State Police indicates that the criminal was armed, resisted and fired several shots at law enforcement officers.
No police officers were injured, but as a result of the operation, the fleeing man’s car and a pursuing police car both caught fire and the suspect died. Initial indications suggest that he is indeed the man wanted by the police, who is suspected of the double murder in Latvia.
Latvian State Police Chief Armands Ruks told Latvian Radio that there is reason to believe that the suspect and the murdered individuals were known to each other.
“We assume that the motive could be related to some personal issues. These were not close relatives,” Ruks pointed out.
The Chief of the State Police explained that the police did not notify the public about the wanted person on Wednesday because there was no reason to believe that other residents were in danger despite the violent shootout which later transpired south of the border.
You can find the story filed by our colleages at LRT in Lithuania here.
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