Woman shot this spring in Latvia was walking near military training

The Military Police have taken over the investigation to determine whether the bullet was fired from a service weapon belonging to the National Armed Forces. Latvian Radio’s report on a woman who, on the afternoon of March 4, went for a peaceful walk with a friend in the Rītabuļļu Forest in Rīga and was suddenly shot in the back has drawn significant public attention and raised many questions. For example, how could this have happened? Neither the woman nor her friend reported hearing any noise. By mutual agreement, the woman’s first and last names are not being disclosed. “I kind of froze, and she [my friend] was seriously scared, and I said, ‘I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot!’ And she immediately lifted my jacket. Yeah, there’s a hole there. She sat me down on a bench and ran off herself to see if she could spot the shooter, because we didn’t know what kind of weapon it was, nothing. Well, she didn’t see anything there. It was completely quiet. Like the calm before the storm, because usually there are people walking around there, but this time there was no one,” recalls the victim. She reported the incident to the State Police, which launched a criminal investigation into hooliganism, if it involved causing bodily harm to the victim or if it was committed using weapons. The victim was ordered to undergo a forensic medical examination, and an examination was also ordered for the bullet that was removed during surgery at Rīga East Hospital. Health Inspectorate rules controversial treatment of bullet injury fineYesterday, 13:29 After the shooting, the woman required rehabilitation, and she continues to experience health problems. State Police spokesperson Gita Gžibovska confirmed to Latvian Radio that the State Police are no longer investigating the case of the woman shot in the Rītabuļļu Forest, and that inquiries should be directed to the National Armed Forces (NBS). The NBS confirmed that the criminal proceedings initiated by the State Police have been transferred to the Military Police for further investigation of this case. The investigation will also determine whether the bullet was fired from a service weapon belonging to the armed forces. Roberts Skraučs, advisor to the commander of the National Armed Forces on military public relations, also added that the woman was injured near a military facility where military exercises were taking place on March 4 – the day she was injured while out for a walk. “It is important to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened, as the exercises were conducted only within the military facility’s territory, not outside of it,” Skraučs said. The military police, which is conducting the investigation, is one of the NBS units responsible for investigating potential disciplinary and other violations within the armed forces. According to information provided by the NBS, it is currently unknown when the investigation might be concluded.