Groom ‘accidentally shot his fiancée dead in front of her kids days before wedding while showing off new rifle to pal’
A GROOM who accidentally shot his fiancee dead with a rifle a week before their wedding is being investigated for murder.
The 44-year-old suspect, identified by his first name Dmitry, was demonstrating his new gun to a pal when he accidentally fired at his fiancee Tatyana, 37, it is alleged.
Tragic Tatyana’s children were in the next room and heard the gunshot, before rushing in to see their mum bleeding to death in front of them.
Reports say the couple was at home in Dnipro, central Ukraine when their pal Oleksiy Kondratev dropped in.
The three of them went to the bedroom where Dmitry took his new 12-calibre HATSAN hunting rifle and began to show it to his friend.
“Dmitry was holding the gun at his pelvis level with his right index finger on the trigger when he noticed that the muzzle was pointed at Tatyana,” Kondratev told local media.
“He started to move the muzzle aside and at this moment the gun fired.”
GUNNED DOWN
Swimming teacher Tatyana’s two sons, aged 13 and 11, ran into the room after being alarmed by the shot.
After seeing their mum with blood pouring from her stomach they rushed to neighbours for help, according to reports.
Next door neighbour Lyudmila Mikhailovna said: “Tatyana was lying on the floor in a pool of blood with her intestines fallen out.”
After arriving at the scene, paramedics pronounced Tatyana dead.
Tatyana died after being shot in the stomach with a shell containing metal pellets, an autopsy showed.
Cops have launched a criminal case for murder against Dmitry, who was placed into custody.
Police spokeswoman Anna Starchevska said: “The suspect was showing his firearm to a pal when he pointed it at the victim.
“He claims he accidentally shot at her. The woman died from gunshot wounds.”
Forgive me for not saving her...I loved her
Dmitry
Dmitry, who was a security guard in a private company, bought the gun to protect his family who lived in a dangerous neighbourhood, his friend told local media.
After being arrested, Dmitry passed a message to the parents and children of his fiancee through the media.
“Mum, dad, kids, forgive me for not saving her. You know how much I loved her,” he said.
“I do not know how to live without her.”
The suspect faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of murder.
The victim’s mother Nila Mymrina said: “It was a tragic accident. Dmitry should be released.
“My daughter was the happiest woman in the world with this man.”
Dmitry’s best friend Oleksandr Volkov, who had helped him to buy wedding rings in preparation for the couple’s wedding said the pair had known each other for ten years.
“Dmitry saw Tatyana for the first time on a public bus 10 years ago,” he said.
“When she got off the bus he caught up with her and said she had dropped something before putting a piece of paper into her pocket.
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“There was his phone number written down on the paper. Two weeks later she called him.”
He added the shooting was a tragedy for the family.
“They woke up happy that morning but now she is in a grave and he is in jail,” he said.