Killer cop declines jury

During a preliminary hearing, former Police Major Denis Yevsyukov, who went on a shooting spree in a Moscow supermarket, has asked the court to hold a hearing without a jury.

The court has decided to keep him in detention till June 2010.

In April of this year, Yevsyukov, under the influence of alcohol, shot dead a driver that brought him to the supermarket. Moments later he killed the sales clerk of the supermarket and another person inside, and subsequently attempted to murder another 21 people before finally being restrained.

The shooting further damaged the reputation of Russia’s police force. In the past year, Russia has witnessed numerous violent and deadly instances against civilians by its policemen.

Yevsyukov has been sacked from the police force since then, and was proved to be sane at the time of the crime.

Sociologist Alla Glinchikova said that Yevsyukov’s crime is an expression of the ongoing crisis in Russian society.

“It is also a moral crisis, because if you live in a society where he who is strong is right and where personal interest prevails over social interest, then it is very difficult to develop internal limitations on personal freedom,” she said.

“The fact that these things could be punished will have a positive affect on further development,” Glinchikova added. “It is high time to scare some people here in Russia.”