Five killed by guardsman at Ukrainian aerospace factory

The gunman reportedly opened fire on a room full of people

A member of Ukraine’s National Guard has used his weapon to fire on fellow service members and employees of a rocket factory, which the unit was deployed to guard, the country’s Interior Ministry has reported. The incident took place at the Yuzhmash facility in the city of Dnepr, on Thursday morning. 

The trooper killed five people, at least one a civilian. Two of the dead are reportedly women. Five others were injured.

According to local media, the gunman took an assault rifle and ammunition from the unit’s arsenal and fired the weapon at fellow service members. The moment of the shooting could apparently be seen on graphic footage shared by local media.

As many as 22 other people were reportedly in the room when he opened fire. The city's police were put on high alert, with a cordon established around the plant.

Hours after the manhunt began, authorities reported that the gunman was apprehended. The suspect was identified as a man in his early 20s, who was born in the Odessa region. He was conscripted into military service.

Yuzhmash is a major rocket producer which is now a subsidiary of the Ukrainian space agency. Its access to sensitive technologies possibly explains why it has armed guards on the premises.