Triple murder in Poltava region, ex-mayor among the dead

On May 21, around 2:00 PM, the police in Poltava received a report from local residents that a man had shot three people in Lokhvytsia and then detonated a grenade.

The head of the Poltava Regional Police, Yevhen Rogachov, reported that the investigation and forensic experts are working at the scene.

According to preliminary information, a 53-year-old local man shot two neighbors (aged 67 and 47) and a 63-year-old female neighbor with a smoothbore gun in three households and then returned to his property, where he detonated a grenade.

Among the deceased is Vyacheslav Demchuk, a former mayor of Lokhvytsia.

Currently, a police investigative team, forensic experts, and an explosive ordnance disposal team from the State National Police are working at the scene. The circumstances and reasons for the tragedy are being investigated by law enforcement.

The incident has been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under the relevant article of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, specifically Article 115(2) (Intentional Homicide of Two or More Persons), with the investigation ongoing.

Vyacheslav Demchuk served as the mayor of Lokhvytsia from 2010 to 2015 and worked as the director of a local sports and technical club for the Society for the Promotion of Defense of Ukraine. In 2020, he attempted to run for the position of mayor and simultaneously ran for the Poltava Regional Council on the "RPL" party lists.

Alexander Sova is a suspect in the triple homicide, and it is believed the crime resulted from a domestic dispute.