The incident took place March 7 around 10 p.m. on Pyatnitskoye Shosse, just past the Moscow Ring Road in northwest Moscow, police said in a statement. The two men, both of whom were with their wives at the time, got into a verbal argument after the accident. The police officer, who was apparently not in uniform, pulled out a gun and shot the driver in the chest. The driver's wife drove him to a hospital, but he died en route.
The culprit was found after a four-day search and has been detained. He faces a charge of homicide, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Police said at least five police officials, including the officer himself, three captains in his unit, and a deputy head of police in the Southern Administrative District, where the accused was employed, will be fired as a result of the incident.
A spotlight has been shined on police violence in recent weeks in the wake of a scandal in Kazan set off by the death of a 52-year-old man who was reportedly beaten and raped by police officers in that city earlier this month. Five officers face criminal charges in the case.
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