Parliamentary hearings held after incident in Cahul; Moldovan MPs come up with recommendations to strengthen security in military units

The head of the parliamentary commission for national security, defence and public order, Lilian Carp, today presented details on the incident that had occurred at a military unit in Cahul, where a 16-year-old teenager died after being accidentally shot.

According to the lawmaker, preliminary conclusions show that the contract serviceman involved in the incident allegedly infringed more safety regulations.

He specified that the circumstances in which the weapon had been handled were being examined, as well as whether internal security procedures had been followed.

“He violated the rules for using the weapon. He was not allowed to take out the weapon. He took it out, disassembled it, presented it and when he pulled the trigger the incident occurred,” he said.

The MP also referred to the initial reaction of the medical teams, who had assumed a cardiac arrest, since the wound did not show obvious signs of bleeding.

“In very rare cases, the bullet can have an internal trajectory without visible external bleeding, which initially led to the hypothesis of a heart attack,” Carp noted.

He added that the Defence Ministry had publicly communicated the cause of death after the completion of the forensic examination, and that the initial information which appeared was not official.

Following the hearings, MPs formulated recommendations on strengthening security in military units and improving the control of visitors’ access.

“There are areas designated for visits, but there is no sufficiently strict control over the persons entering military units,” Lilian Carp said.

The lawmaker specified that an inquiry commission is to present the final conclusions of the investigation, after which decisions will be taken regarding the persons responsible.

On 10 May, a 16-year-old minor died in a military unit in Cahul. The police were notified after the improper handling of a firearm had led to the injury of a serviceman and the death of a minor. According to the police, a 20-year-old contract serviceman allegedly mishandled a Glock-type weapon while he was together with a 16-year-old minor who was visiting another 18-year-old conscript.

As a result of the accidental shot, the 18-year-old conscript was wounded and transported urgently to hospital. As for the 16-year-old minor, it was initially announced that he went into shock immediately after the incident and lost consciousness. The General Police Inspectorate later informed that law enforcement officers had been informed by the forensic doctor who examined the minor’s body that he had been pierced by the same bullet that wounded the conscript.