Border guard asks court to acquit him over fatal shooting

A border guard on trial over the fatal shooting of a cigarette smuggler has asked the Vilnius Regional Court to acquit him and dismiss the case, LRT reports. Karolis Ilgevičius told the court on Wednesday that he had acted lawfully and responsibly.

“I fired at the rear wheel of the car to stop a person who had committed an offence and was driving towards me,” he said in his final statement.

The Prosecutor General’s Office has asked the court to find Ilgevičius guilty and sentence him to restriction of liberty. The court is due to deliver its verdict on November 19.

Ilgevičius’s lawyer has asked the court to refer the case to the Constitutional Court to determine whether the State Border Guard Service Law is unconstitutional because it does not allow officers to use a firearm when their health is at risk. The law permits officers to use a gun when a life is in danger. If the request is rejected, the defence has asked for the case to be dismissed on the grounds that Ilgevičius was carrying out his duties.

Ilgevičius said the events of June 1, 2024, in Šalčininkai District unfolded rapidly and unpredictably, leaving officers to make decisions in an instant. Defence lawyer V. Vilkas said Ilgevičius was under emotional stress, adding that drones could carry explosives as well as cigarettes.

According to case documents, border guards near the Belarusian border received a report that drones carrying bundles had entered Lithuania and began searching for them. They later spotted a car on the road. The driver did not stop when officers signalled for him to do so.

Prosecutors say Ilgevičius fired once from his service weapon at the departing car in an attempt to detain a suspected offender, breaching the rules governing firearm use. They say the driver posed no direct threat to officers, road safety or other people. He suffered fatal injuries to the back of his head and neck and died at the scene. The car, driven by a man previously convicted of smuggling, hit a tree; officers found cigarettes and the driver’s body inside.

The prosecution says the evidence indicates that Ilgevičius exceeded his authority and caused significant non-pecuniary harm to the victims, the State Border Guard Service and the state. Prosecutor Darius Šneideris said the law protects the lives of offenders and that Ilgevičius had not faced a direct threat to his own life. Ilgevičius now works as a systems monitoring operator at the same border guard post.