YEREVAN. – Colonel Artak Budaghyan, who was wounded in a shootout near the house of Armenia’s former Syunik regional governor, has learned about the death of his brother, Budaghyan’s relatives told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

They informed that Artak’s father and brother broke him the news about the death of his brother, Avetik (Avo). But before informing him of this news, Artak was injected a sleeping medication so that the news would not have an adverse affect on his health.  

“He could not say anything. They are constantly injecting him so that this stress would not have a huge impact. He was thinking that his brother was alive, [and] is [in hospital in] wounded [state]. He seems to be stone-cold; he says nothing,” the relatives said, and added that he has not yet been questioned about the tragic incident.     

As Armenian News-News.am informed earlier, shots were fired nearby Syunik governor Suren Khachatryan’s home in Goris city, on June 2 at around 12:10am. As a result, one person was killed and two others sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to Goris hospital. The person who died was Avo Budaghyan, the former Goris mayoral candidate. The wounded are Budaghyan’s brother Artak, and Nikolay Abrahamyan, a relative and bodyguard of Khachatryan. Subsequently, the wounded were transferred to capital city Yerevan.

A criminal case is launched on charges of murder and illegal carrying, possession, and use of arms and ammunition. The Military Prosecutor’s Office is conducting the investigation.

Two people are arrested in connection with this incident. One of them is the Syunik regional governor’s son, Tigran Khachatryan, 19, and the other is the governor’s bodyguard, Zarzand Nikoghosyan.  

Pursuant to his petition, Suren Khachatryan was relieved of his duties as Governor of Syunik Region.

Photo by Emedia.am