At least five dead in Kyiv shooting, suspected gunman killed

A gunman opened fire in Kyiv on Saturday, killing at least five people, wounding others and taking hostages at a supermarket before being killed during an arrest attempt, officials said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that at least five people were dead and 10 hospitalised with wounds and trauma after the shooting in a residential district of the capital.

"The attacker in Kyiv who opened fire on civilians has been eliminated," Zelensky said on social media, offering "condolences to the families and loved ones" of the victims.

Footage posted by the UNIAN news agency, which AFP was unable to immediately verify, showed a man carrying a gun and shooting at a person from a close range near a block of flats.

The suspect later entered a supermarket where gunshots were heard, Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on Saturday.

"Four hostages have been rescued," Zelensky said in the social media post.

Ukraine's police said that its special forces were deployed to the scene in the Holosiivskyi district in the city's south.

The assailant's motive was not known and Zelensky said that "all the circumstances are being established", urging "a swift investigation".

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)