How a businessman murdered a deputy mayor and then three more people, and got away

Meduza summarizes the killing spree that's come to Krasnogorsk

This Monday, October 19, a businessman in Krasnogorsk named Amiran Georgadze walked into City Hall and murdered two state officials, including Deputy Mayor Yuri Karaulov, and then he shot and killed another two people. According to unverified reports, the city's officials had forced out Georgadze from the local construction business, without "compensating" him for the loss of income. Meduza summarizes what we know about these killings.

Who is Amiran Georgadze?

In Krasnogorsk, Amiran Georgadze is a very well-known entrepreneur. He is chairman of the city's commercial and industrial union, and owner of the construction company Myakininskoe Riverlands. Georgadze has been in the construction business since 1999, building housing for Russian soldiers under a government program, and easily winning permission from local officials for his construction projects. By all accounts in the local media, Georgadze and Deputy Mayor Yuri Karaulov (Krasnogorsk's so-called "Gray Cardinal") were quite close.

Georgadze led an active social life, playing on the "Zorky" Krasnogorsk volleyball team, and donating money to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (for which Patriarch Kirill even sent him a thank-you certificate). When he committed the murders yesterday, Georgadze was a member of United Russia, the country's ruling political party. Hours after the killings, however, the party expelled him from its ranks.

What happened at Krasnogorsk City Hall?

On the morning of Monday, October 19, Georgadze reportedly told his family that he was going hunting, but he went straight to City Hall. He then entered Karaulov's office, where the two began shouting at one another. At some point in the argument, Karaulov called into his office Georgy Kotlyarenko, the head of the city's electricity network. A few minutes later, Georgadze's driver entered Karaulov's office, carrying a bag. According to different reports, the bag contained either a carbine firearm or an automatic weapon. Georgadze planned to shoot Karaulov and Kotlyarenko with the rifle, but it jammed, so he killed them using a handgun, instead. Afterwards, Georgadze and his driver fled the scene.

Investigators soon arrived and discovered that Georgadze also shot and killed another two people the same day: a man driving by on a scooter, and his business partner Tristan Zakaidze, whose body was found at Georgadze's country home in Timoshkino. Both these murders were committed after the killings at City Hall.

Why did Amiran Georgadze become a murderer?

Investigators say Amiran Georgadze lost his government contracts. According to sources at the news agency Interfax, local state officials tried to oust him from the construction industry. Georgadze was reportedly willing to leave the business, for a "compensation" package of $20 million, but he never received the money. According to the news service LifeNews, Tristan Zakaidze also owed Georgadze $400,000. It's still unknown why Georgadze shot and killed a man riding by on a scooter, who turns to have been a security guard at a local newspaper.

And now for the manhunt.

Police have already found the Range Rover, in which Georgadze and his driver fled from Krasnogorsk City Hall. Inside, police found bullets and a magazine clip for a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a silencer, a traumatic pistol, and handcuffs. After the fourth murder, Georgadze's driver, Shota Elizbarashvili, surrendered voluntarily to investigators. He is now in police custody as a suspect in the killings. A 1-million-ruble ($16,000) reward has been placed on information leading to the arrest of Amiran Georgadze, who's been added to a federal wanted list.