A native of the Russian North Caucasus republic of Dagestan was shot and killed in central Moscow on Wednesday evening, in what investigators believe may have been a contract hit, news reports said.
The victim was shot at least 10 times when he stepped out of his car on Moscow's Solyanka street, Investigative Committee spokeswoman Yulia Ivanova said, Gazeta.ru news portal reported. He died at the scene, Ivanova was quoted as saying.
The state news agency TASS quoted an unidentified law-enforcement official as saying the victim was Mukhtar Medzhidov, a former candidate for Dagestan's regional parliament.
The Gazeta.ru news portal reported that investigators are looking into the possibility the shooting was a contract hit. But TASS quoted another unidentified official as saying the shooting was the result of a “conflict” between the victim and the shooter.
The victim had a Tokarev TT pistol in his hand when the body was found, the report said.
