A 26-year-old hockey player named Nikolai Sharov from the Kolos team lost his life in a bar dispute in Bredy, located in the Chelyabinsk Region. Local authorities, represented by Vladimir Shishkov, the senior deputy head of the regional investigation department, confirmed that the fatal incident stemmed from a shootout inside the establishment.
During a night out, two neighbors who knew each other argued. One of them left, returned with a shotgun, and fired several rounds at Sharov, hitting him fatally. The suspect was detained within the same day, according to Shishkov as reported by URA.RU.
According to REN TV, the people involved sat at separate tables, and tensions escalated when one party felt the other group was too loud. The confrontation ended when an individual returned home, retrieved a shotgun, and opened fire, striking Sharov in the head and abdomen. The athlete died at the scene, and the attacker fled before being captured later.
Investigators noted that Sharov reportedly did not deserve the harsh reaction and that he admitted to the crime, explaining that the hockey player had acted rudely. Police efforts to locate the assailant intensified, leading to the arrest of the suspect several hours after the incident, and the seizure of an unregistered pistol along with its cartridges. This information is reported by the Chelyabinsk Region press.
Media outlets identified the perpetrator as 36-year-old Ivan Razzhivin, who had three prior convictions for property crimes. A sister of the slain Nikolai, Margarita, told socialbites.ca that there was no real conflict between the two men and that Nikolai knew Razzhivin and maintained good relations with him.
“Nikolai did not clash with anyone. He stood up for others. The claims circulating online about a quarrel between him and the killer are not true. My brother got along well with him,” she said. She added that the killer appeared in the street and then fired inside the venue, while Nikolai attempted to calm others or shield patrons, not expecting a lethal outcome.
Law enforcement officials stated that a court petition has been filed to determine a preventive measure for the suspect. A criminal lawyer, Maxim Kalinov, commented that depending on the case details, Razzhivin could face a severe sentence, possibly life in prison in the most serious scenario.
According to the criminal code cited by Kalinov, shooting a person can carry a penalty ranging from six to fifteen years in prison for the first offense. If others are present and the act is considered more severe, it may fall under a higher category that could result in eight to twenty years in prison or life imprisonment. These are the legal possibilities discussed in relation to the incident.
Earlier this year, another similar tragedy occurred in Moscow on April 24. A 23-year-old hockey player named Roman Didur died after a dispute with a businessman named Armen Kuyumdzhi inside a cafe. The confrontation ended with the attacker stabbing the athlete in the chest, and Didur bled out before medical help could arrive.