Police officers from Małkinia charged after the death of a 51-year-old man

The incident took place on April 5. Jacek K. was previously detained in Ostrów Mazowiecka. He was wanted on an arrest warrant and was to serve a six-month prison sentence for failure to pay alimony.

Before being detained, the man was taken to hospital for medical examination. According to investigators, the 51-year-old man escaped while being taken from the X-ray room to the patient's room.

The prosecutor's office indicates that at that time one policeman was supervising him, and the other officer left the scene.

After the man escaped outside the hospital, one of the policemen started a pursuit. According to the prosecutor's office, the 51-year-old did not follow the given orders and the officer used his service weapon.

An ambulance was called to the scene. The injured person was transported to a nearby hospital, where resuscitation was performed. The man could not be saved.

The autopsy revealed gunshot wounds to both lower legs and a gunshot wound to the right shoulder blade. A deformed bullet was found in the right deltoid muscle.

According to the expert's opinion, gunshot injuries were not the direct cause of death. Cardiopulmonary failure was indicated as the direct cause of death.

Charges against two officers

According to the spokeswoman of the Ostrołęka prosecutor's office, Elżbieta Edyta Łukasiewicz, the collected evidence allowed for the presentation of charges against Sylwester A. and Paweł J. from the Małkinia Police Station.

Sylwester A. was charged with two charges. The first concerns failure to fulfill duties when supervising a detained person. According to investigators, the policeman did not use handcuffs on the 51-year-old, which was supposed to enable him to escape from the facility.

The second charge includes exceeding the authority by firing three shots from a service weapon at a fleeing man - despite, as the prosecutor points out, there is no legal basis for using the weapon.

Investigators also accuse the officer of failing to provide medical assistance: failing to treat the gunshot wound to the right lower leg and failing to provide cardiac massage.

Paweł J. will be held liable for failure to fulfill his duties. The charge concerns the lack of handcuffs and failure to use them on the detained person, as well as leaving the place to which Jacek K. was taken.

Both officers pleaded not guilty to the acts accused of them and refused to provide explanations.

Preventive measures were taken against the policemen: they were suspended from their duties and placed on property bail.