Son of Gyumri mayor concerned in another shootout

ArmInfo
2007-05-21 10:31:00

Spartak Ghukasyan, the son of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasdyan, and
Rustam Sargsyan, the son of Artashes Sargsyan, the former head of
Shirak Regional Administration Department for Town Planning,
participated in a shootout in the town of Gyumri at 8:15pm on
Sunday. A. Sargsyan was responsible for Prosperous Armenia party in
the 34th single-mandate district.

RFE/RL regional correspondent reports that the incident took place in
10-15 metres from the store belonging to the Sargsyans. Law enforcers
surrounded the area at 9:00pm. The number of bullets found on the spot
exceeded 20. No one of the witnesses agreed to register for giving
testimonies as they feared for their safety. The Hummer belonging to
the son of Gyumri Mayor and another car were hounding Rustam
Sargsyan’s Jeep and the cross fire started. A young man at the age of
29 was wounded in leg. His name is not made public in the interests of
investigation. The wounded underwent operation at 11:00pm. It is not
known if he was just a passerby or a participant in the
incident. Shirak Regional Prosecutor’s Office has initiated a criminal
case. The cars disappeared from the place of the incident. A Hummer
was found in the area of the city bus station at 10:30pm without
numberplate and damaged with bullets, the source reports.

According to preliminary information, a few days ago, Spartak
Ghukasyan and Rustam Sargsyan had a conflict that could be for both
personal and political reasons. Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan heads
Shirak Regional Department of the Republican Party of Armenia, while
Rustam Sargsyan’s father is in the head of the regional office of the
pro-government Prosperous Armenia party. There is information that
Rustam Sargsyan was also wounded. However, this information has not
been official confirmed so far.