Several Serbian-language media outlets have published an article today (April 11) about the injury of a Serbian citizen in northern Kosovo, claiming that the Kosovo Police special unit shot at him.
Based on statements from the health center in Zveçan given to the Serbian-language information portal "kosovo-online.com", the injured man said that he was shot by members of the ROSU unit near the Bistrica bridge while he was driving a car on the main road from Leposaviq to Zveçan.
This claim was also made by the director of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, in a statement to "TV Prva".
Meanwhile, the Kosovo Police (KP), through their official reaction to the event, provide information that they are not involved in this incident.
Links to articles published in several Serbian-language media outlets:
https://informer.rs/vesti/politika/785118/petar-petkovic-kancelarija-kim
Parts of the article published in some media in the Serbian language:
Late last night, not far from the Bistrica bridge, members of Rosu wounded Serb MJ from Zvecan with gunfire.
According to the Zveçan Health Center, where MJ was admitted and from where he was transported by ambulance to the North Mitrovica hospital, the wounded man said he was shot by members of the Rosu unit near the Bistrica bridge while he was driving a car on the main road from Leposaviq to Zveçan.
Serb MJ from Zvecan was injured late last night by a gunshot not far from that place near the Bistrica bridge. As the Kosovo Online journalist learns, the shooting occurred near the checkpoint of the Kosovo Police special unit.
The Serbian-language media outlet “Kosovo-online.com” claimed that the shooting occurred near the checkpoint of the Kosovo Police Special Unit. However, it does not provide any facts or photographs from the scene. (here)
The injured Serbian citizen with the initials MJ in his statement claims that after passing the Kosovo Police checkpoint, he heard a shot and a pain in his shoulder. He added that he is not 100% sure who fired the shot, but he does not believe there is anyone else at that base besides the Kosovo Army and Police.
"Last night, after I returned from Leposavic down to Bistrica, after I passed through the checkpoint, I heard a shot and a pain in my shoulder. I can't be 100% sure who shot, but I don't believe there was anyone else there besides their army and police." (here)
Despite the fact that the injured man is not 100% sure that he was shot by the Kosovo Police special units, the Director of the Kosovo Office, Petar Petkovic, claims that the Kosovo Police ROSU shot Milan Jovanovic last night near the Bistrica Bridge on the Leposaviq-Mitrovicë road. Despite this claim, he does not provide any concrete facts to support it.
In this case, the doctor's statements regarding the condition of the injured person, images of the car with broken glass and other damage in an unidentified location from the angle of the distributed photograph have been published.
Although Serbian-language media and Petar Petkovic claimed to present the case as a shooting by a special unit of the Kosovo Police against a Serbian citizen, the Kosovo Police emphasizes the fact that it is not involved in this event.
Through a statement published on Facebook, the Kosovo Police announced that they "have received information that a person is being treated, who is suspected of being wounded in the chest by a firearm, but that the circumstances and causes of his injury are still unknown."
"It is worth emphasizing and clarifying that the Kosovo Police has not been involved in any case of exchange or shooting at any specific group or person. Therefore, regarding the articles or questions addressed to the Kosovo Police by some Serbian media outlets, alleging that the Kosovo Police was involved, or in the form of a question about whether it was involved in shooting and wounding a person at the Bistrica bridge in the municipality of Leposavic, we inform you and reiterate that the Kosovo Police has not been involved in any case of exchange or shooting at any location in northern Kosovo, including the aforementioned location." (here)
Furthermore, the Kosovo Police has announced that, based on official information, ""It is confirmed that the Kosovo Police has not been involved in any case of gunfire, and remains committed to investigating and clarifying as soon as possible the case of the injured person who is being treated at the hospital center in North Mitrovica, where according to doctors his life is out of danger." (here)
Analyze:
Based on the elaboration of the facts, it is understood that the claims of the Serbian-language media and the director of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, are unfounded in concrete facts.
Despite the fact that the injured man claims that the shots were fired at him as he passed the Kosovo Police checkpoint, he says he is not 100% sure who shot him.
Kosovo Police, in its reaction to the case, has announced that it is not involved in this event.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info considers this claim to be "unverified content".
Rating:
The “Unverified” rating is given to those media reports that do not provide sufficient information to confirm the claims made in the report, and which have not been able to confirm the same due to the lack or non-possession of reliable sources.