Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov says he does not intend to write a resignation letter following the murder of a five-year-old boy, Kyrylo Tliavov, by police officers in the city of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky.
"I will not write a letter of resignation neither. But this parliament or the next one [after elections] may consider my resignation under the appropriate procedure," Avakov told journalists following a government meeting on June 5.
The minister added that Chief of the National Police Serhiy Kniazev should not resign in the wake of the incident, either.
"I think that Chief of the National Police Kniazev should not resign. He has been performing well, and he is doing his best," he said.
At the same time, Avakov stressed that "there is always responsibility of a minister and every minister must be ready to answer before parliament."
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"This parliament and the next one can dismiss me," the official said.
Avakov says he does not consider the current situation as police reform failure.
"I believe that police reform is developing in the right direction. But this does not dismiss our responsibility and regret for this incident," he added.
As UNIAN reported earlier, on May 31, patrol officers Ivan Prykhodko and Volodymyr Petrovets were firing weapons while intoxicated at cans and bottles near the area where children were playing.
A local boy Kyrylo, 5, who was playing in the backyard, was wounded. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors were fighting for his life for several days. The boy died on June 3.
The officers are suspected of gross violation of public order, committed with the use of firearms by a group of persons (under Part 4 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and of premeditated murder of a young child, committed by a group of persons (paragraphs 2 and 12, of Part 2 of Article 115).
On June 4, Kyiv's Holosiyivsky district court ruled to remand the two in custody for 60 days without a bail option.
