Woman challenges closure of shooting investigation near military base

LSM reports that a woman shot in the back while walking near a military base in Daugavgrīva has challenged the closure of the criminal investigation with the prosecutor’s office. Military Police closed the case after two forensic examinations classified her injuries as minor and concluded there was no criminal offence.

The woman was shot in March in the Rītabuļļu forest, on a path towards the sea. She says she still has pain, cannot work as she did before and visits a psychologist. She has also asked the Medical Treatment Risk Fund to compensate her for physical and emotional suffering.

The Latvian Army said the investigation found that the injuries were probably connected to military exercises held on March 4 inside a military facility in Daugavgrīva, near Rītabuļļu beach. Investigators found that the bullet had been fired from a long distance and had struck another object in flight, suggesting a possible ricochet.

A bullet removed during surgery was 5.56 mm in calibre, the same calibre as ammunition used by the armed forces’ H&K G36 assault rifles. However, an examination could not determine which specific rifle had fired it.