Police shooting in Anykščiai district leaves armed senior dead

A senior man was fatally shot by officers from Lithuania’s Aras anti-terrorist unit in Anykščiai district after he fired at them with a legally held firearm, local media LRT reports.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening in Sviesteliškis village, where the man had earlier threatened relatives with the weapon. When police arrived, the 74-year-old refused to lower his gun and opened fire on the Aras officers, who responded by shooting him dead. No officers were injured.

Anykščiai district mayor Kęstutis Tubis, a former criminal police officer, acknowledged the gravity of the situation but stated that such use of force is sometimes unavoidable when a person poses a direct threat. He described the case as rare and said authorities would review the circumstances in detail.

Višintų elder Virginija Macijauskienė, who knew the man’s family, called the event painful and noted that the exact details would emerge from the ongoing pre-trial investigation. The family has not requested public support, she added.

Gintautas Sakalauskas, a criminologist and lecturer at Vilnius University’s Law Faculty, said Lithuania’s strict gun control laws make firearm-related crimes relatively rare, despite the country’s high overall violence rates. He argued that the Aras officers acted lawfully, as they are entitled to use force to protect themselves and others when faced with an immediate threat.

“There is no magical way to prevent such tragedies,” Sakalauskas said. “Some situations are unavoidable, and this appears to be one of them.”