An elderly gunman dressed up as Father Christmas fatally shot a shopkeeper using a weapon hidden under his red robe in an alleged act of revenge.
Shop owner Yuriy Surakin, 54, died on the spot moments after posing for a selfie with the alleged gunman, Valery Vasiliev, 71, in his costume.
As Russia today marks Orthodox Christmas Eve, the suspect has been accused of concealing the firearm in his Santa disguise and shooting the local businessman in what has been described as an ‘act of revenge’ due to ‘personal hostility’.
Russian authorities detained Vasiliev following the deadly shooting and a court has remanded him in custody for two months as a murder investigation is launched.
The bizarre shooting in Kanash town, Chuvashia region was caught on a security camera.
The fake Santa, commonly known in Russia as Grandfather Frost, wandered into the Beryozka household electrical goods store and posed for pictures with the shop owner.
Images show the old man donning a long, fake beard and glasses which hides the majority of his face.
Vasiliev had the firearm hidden in his festive red and silver outfit, according to the Russian Investigative Committee.
Shop owner Yuriy Surakin, 54, pictured left, posing for a selfie with the alleged gunman, Valery Vasiliev, 71, in his costume, pictured right
The local businessman died on the spot after the fake Santa revealed his gun from his disguise
The elderly property mogul shot the local businessman in what has been described as an ‘act of revenge’ due to ‘personal hostility’
It is believed that Surakin was shot as he was an ex-cop who had previously been responsible for jailing the man
One theory swirling in local media is that Surakin – a former police officer – was behind his attacker being convicted to a jail term and that the shooting was an act of revenge.
Father-of-seven Surakin, a grandfather, ‘previously put the shooter behind bars,’ said Bad News channel.
‘After being released, the man decided to take revenge.’
But this committee is also probing whether the city owed a debt to his alleged murderer.
The suspect – who owns a property portfolio – went on the run after the shooting but was found in Vutaboshi village.
A wanted poster read: ‘The suspect is of stocky build, about 5ft 11in tall.
‘He was wearing a red Santa Claus costume and white felt boots.
‘He had a white beard and transparent glasses.’
He had been on the run for less than a day, according to law enforcement.
Before this, wanted images were circulated of the alleged killer.
The fake Santa can be seen in shop security camera footage roaming around in his costume
Vasiliev donned a long white beard and glasses to conceal his face
Russian authorities detained Vasiliev following the deadly shooting and a court has remanded him in custody for two months as a murder investigation is launched
Ex-cop and father-of-seven Surakin, ‘previously put the shooter behind bars,’ said Bad News channel.
But this is not the first case of a Santa going bad, with shocking footage emerging in 2019 of a fake Father Christmas shooting two handguns at the home of the parents of a former Voice of Ireland star.
CCTV captured the man in a red and white suit casually walking through the residential street in west Belfast before unloading a six-round clip at the property.
He then drew a second gun with his left hand and fired six more rounds at the home of George Richmond, 59, and his wife Geraldine, 57, before running off.
The couple – whose daughter Georgina, 33, was a finalist on the popular talent show The Voice of Ireland in 2016 – had to flee their home after a spate of suspected IRA attacks.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
