TBILISI, July 24 – A 17-year-old boy has died after a late-night shooting in Tbilisi’s Vera district, where four people, including two minors, were wounded by gunfire from a weapon allegedly owned by the detained suspect.
The shooting happened late Wednesday night on Shanidze Street in Vera, an uptown neighborhood of the Georgian capital. According to Interpressnews, police arrested 42-year-old Nika Kapanadze at a hotel belonging to him after the incident.
One of the wounded, 17-year-old Nikoloz Ghunashvili, later died in hospital. Three other people were injured, including another minor.
The case has raised questions about why Kapanadze was allowed to keep firearms despite earlier warning signs. His mother told TV Pirveli that several years ago she had asked police to remove her son’s weapons because, in her words, he was not mentally well.
She said the weapons had been registered before her son developed psychiatric problems. She said police took them away temporarily after an incident in which he showed aggression toward her, but later returned them. She said Kapanadze had three registered firearms, though only one was in use at the time.
The suspected murderer’s mother also said her son had mental health problems and had been treated at a psychiatric clinic in Temka, a district of Tbilisi. According to her, she had paid 800 euros for medicine brought from Germany.
“I could not imagine that he would kill a man,” she said.
According to existing information cited by Interpressnews, Kapanadze had a past conviction. A restraining order had also been issued against him in relation to his mother.
The shooting reportedly followed an argument between Kapanadze’s mother and young people who had left a cafe and whose car was parked in front of Kapanadze’s home. The mother allegedly reprimanded them. After that, according to the report, Kapanadze opened fire.
Four people were inside an Alfa Romeo car. Three of them were hit by bullets, while the driver was not injured. A fourth wounded person was traveling by taxi when a bullet struck them.
