Two Ukrainian policemen accused of murdering a boy, 5, while drinking and shooting at cans

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Two Ukrainian police officers were jailed Monday after they were accused of murdering a 5-year-old boy with a stray bullet.

Investigators said patrol officers Ivan Pryhodko and Volodymyr Petrovets were drinking together in a courtyard of an apartment building near Kiev on Friday and were shooting at cans.

A stray bullet hit the boy, later identified as Kyrylo Tliavov. He was rushed to the hospital.

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At the hospital, police initially said the child had died after falling on a rock. However, those claims were disproved when fragments of a bullet were found inside the boy’s head, the BBC reported.

Tliavov died on his wounds on Monday.

Police officer Volodymyr Petrovets (C), suspected of murdering a 5-year old boy, leaves a courtroom of Kiev's district court on June 4, 2019. (AFP/Getty)

Investigators found cartridges, cups, and cans near the boy’s house which they believed were used during the incident.

The officers were detained over the weekend and were ordered jailed without bail Tuesday on suspicion of murder of a child. If convicted, they face up to life in prison.

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The boy’s death triggered widespread protests outside the interior ministry building in Kiev on Monday and prompted the head of the Kiev police region to submit his resignation. Outside the building, protesters lit flares and held placards saying “the police kill people.” They also lit candles and brought soft toys near the building, Reuters reported.

“I, as President and as a father, want to assure you that I will do everything to ensure that the guilty are justly punished,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook.

“No softening. No attempt to hide this matter. This tragedy should become a lesson. Those who have to take care of the safety of citizens should remember their responsibility.”

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Activists also demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, who has not commented on the case.

Ukrainian police have previously been the target of mass protests, including in 2012 when officers were accused of helping cover up the rape and murder of an 18-year-old girl because the attackers’ parents had political connections.