Ukraine: Police shoot dead gunman who killed several in Kyiv

The gunman who shot dead "several" people and wounded others in the Ukrainian capital has been killed during an attempt to arrest him, authorities said.

A gunman opened fire on people in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Saturday, killing "several" people and wounding others, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. 

He added authorities had launched a "special operation" to apprehend the assailant, who he said had entered a supermarket. 

The shooting "resulted in injuries and several fatalities," Klitschko said.

What do we know about the incident?

Televised footage of the scene showed police taking cover in the shopping mall that housed the supermarket while shots were fired.

Bystanders were escorted away from the scene.

Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko later declared that the gunman was killed during an attempt to arrest him. 

"The gunman was killed during his arrest in Kyiv," Klymenko said on social media, adding that the suspect "had taken people hostage and fired at police officers during the arrest."

"The number of victims is being determined. There are killed and wounded," Klymenko said. 

Zelenskyy urges swift investigation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least five people have been killed in the attack. "My condolences to the families and the loved ones," he said.

Kyiv Mayor Klitschko later said that a sixth victim, a young woman, had died from her injuries in the hospital.

Ukraine's SBU ‌security ⁠service has designated the incident as a "terrorist act."

Zelenskyy said authorities have initiated a probe and that "all the circumstances are being established."

Edited by: Wesley Dockery