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Fugitive Russian Suspect Who Killed Officer Dies In Police Chase


Russian authorities say a suspect who gunned down a police officer in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok has died after shooting himself during a chase.

City police officials said 40-year-old Vladimir Bespalov, a suspected drug dealer, shot himself in the head on March 26 as police closed in on him and demanded his surrender. They said he died in a hospital.

Bespalov, who had a prosthetic left leg, had seized a gun from one of two officers who were escorting him from court to jail on March 24 and shot both men, killing one and severely wounding the other.

He fled the scene but was tracked down two days later after residents of an apartment building reported seeing him.

Police said he refused to surrender, climbed to the roof, and shot himself.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS

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