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Belgorod Shooting Suspect Declared Fit to Stand Trial

Sergei Pomazun, the man charged with the murder of six people in Belgorod in April, has been declared "mentally competent" and therefore fit to stand trial, the Investigative Committee said Friday.

Investigators said 31-year-old Pomazun, who has been convicted of robbery three times in the past, stole guns from an arms shop and shot dead six people in the center of Belgorod on April 22.

He also allegedly wounded a police officer with a knife when the latter tried to detain him.

Doubts had been raised about Pomazun's mental condition.

His 55-year-old father told investigators that his son had been acting aggressively around the time of the killing spree and had attacked both his parents, causing minor injuries.

Investigators said that, according to his mental examination, Pomazun had no psychiatric “deviations.” In total, more than 50 expert examinations were conducted as part of the investigation, including genetic, forensic and medical tests.

Earlier, Life News reported that Pomazun had been released from a mental health facility, where he had been ordered by a court to undergo treatment four months before the shooting.

Pomazun faces life imprisonment on murder charges. He also faces charges of stealing weapons and ammunition, the use of stolen weapons to inflict injury, and assault on a police office.

He was released from prison last year after serving four years for theft and assaulting a police officer.

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