​PENSIONER WHO WOUNDED 4 PERSONS EXPLAINS HIS BEHAVIOR

Petru Ilascu, 64, who wounded 4 cops in a Chisinau suburban community on Tuesday, maintains that he opened fire in self-defense.

The wounded pensioner stated in hospital to investigators and journalists that the reason of the incident were the forged documents, presented to him from behalf of the Chisinau Primaria [city government] for the building of a road via the lands of the gardening association he belongs.

“They [municipal authorities] want to build a road through our suburban cottages! We asked them to apply officially to our association leadership, and we would give them an official reply saying that we agree or not. But they ignored this simple rule once again, and came for a fifth time together with the police”, said the man.

In his words, when a police van and a wrecker truck appeared near his house to remove ferroconcrete blocks from the road, he came out from the house to talk to the visitors.

“But they started shooting at me, so I opened fire in reply, too. That’s all”, said Ilascu, who wounded a municipal official and 4 policemen.

The pensioner said he regretted the incident because innocent young people suffered in it, “who were simply fooled by the municipal bureaucrats, whom I should have shot down like rabid dogs”.

Marin Macsian, Head of the Ministry of the Interior Department for Public Security, told a press briefing that the two ferroconcrete blocks had been installed in the street without official permission, and they were a real hindrance to traffic.

“Local residents applied to the authorities yet on July 30. Relevant officials talked to Ilascu many a time. At last, when they tried to remove the blocks from the street with a wrecker truck on September 9, the pensioner provoked a conflict, and opened fire from his hunting gun. By the way, his permit for keeping the weapon expired yet in 2009, which is a violation of the law. The man will apparently be brought to stand court for an attempt on the life of policemen on official duty, which offense is punishable with an imprisonment of up to 8 years”, said Macsian.