Veronika Motorina

Woman Kills Gun Range Instructor Because She’s ‘Stressed Out’ From Fight With Boyfriend



An 18-year-old Ukrainian reportedly woman borrowed a target practice pistol from her instructor at a shooting range and used it to kill him following a fight with her boyfriend.

Veronika Motorina went to the Object 7.62 shooting range in Poltava, Ukraine, to “cool down and relax” after the heated argument, which she had instigated by accusing her boyfriend of cheating on her, according to the Daily Mail.

A frequent visitor to the range, Motorina used a Glock pistol and an AK-74 rifle, a refined version of the better-known AK-47, to shoot at paper targets and cope with being stressed out, the Daily Mail reported.

At one point she, she turned to her instructor, 64-year-old Igor Smolyaninov, and asked him for a Margolin, a .22-caliber target pistol. After he gave it to her, she turned and shot him twice, once in the chest and once in the head, a witness said.

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Motorina dropped the weapon and fled while shooting range staff called emergency services to tend to Smolyaninov, who lay on the floor. Paramedics declared Smolyaninov dead when they arrived at the scene.

Why did Veronika Motorina kill her shooting instructor?

Police captured Motorina about an hour later. She was placed in a two-month pre-trial detention jail while an investigation is conducted.

During a court hearing a day after the shooting, Motorina declared she “did not want [Smolyaninov] to die.”

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Motorina trained herself in firearms and attempted to join the Ukrainian army but her application was rejected, Ukrainian media reported.

Her boyfriend reportedly told law enforcement that Motorina was “emotionally unstable and regularly expressed a wish to kill someone.”

Police spokesman Yury Sulaev said: “Police have enough evidence to charge the 18-year-old suspect with premeditated murder.”

Motorina faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

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