Police officer killed outside Moscow

One policeman was killed and another wounded in Moscow Region on Sunday while attempting to arrest a drug trafficking suspect, who opened fire and fled the scene, and is still at large. 

The authorities were responding to an alert from motorists, who spotted a wounded man lying on the side of a road near the village of Yakimovo, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said.

After the shooting, more police arrived and found their colleagues in a wooded area near Yakimovo. One died of his injuries before medics arrived.

Preliminary findings indicated that the two operatives attempted to arrest a drug trafficking suspect, who gunned them down and escaped. The Interior Ministry has called on motorists who were driving past the crime scene at the time of the shootout, to share their dashcam videos with the authorities. According to media reports, the suspect fled on a motorbike.

The incident has triggered a heavy emergency response, with footage shared by the authorities showing the wooded area swarming with police and forensic experts.

The Russian Investigative Committee has launched a criminal probe, with the suspect now facing charges of attacking police operatives. If caught and found guilty, he faces at least 12 years in prison and potentially a life sentence.