Drunk Russian Police Officer Shoots Boy in Stomach After He Kicked a Ball Into His Car

An intoxicated policeman in Russia has been stood down from duty after firing his gun into the abdomen of an 11-year-old boy.

The 36-year-old officer had parked his vehicle near a courtyard in the western city of Kursk on Sunday night when he reportedly got angry at a group of children playing with a ball that hit his car.

He grabbed his non-lethal gun, fired it into the boy's abdomen and then fired it into the air to scare the youngsters, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported.

The Kursk investigative committee's website said it has opened a criminal case against the officer. He faces charges of hooliganism, which carries a maximum sentence of up to five years.

Investigators said the officer "created for him and others an alarming situation that scared everybody because they feared for their lives and well-being."

In a statement, Russia's ministry of internal affairs said that witnesses have been interviewed and that the officer in question will be dismissed.

Major General Viktor Kosarev said that the officer's actions discredit the police force.

"A policeman should always be able to make informed decisions, competently assess the situation and try to resolve disputes peacefully, especially when it comes to children.

"In this case, this employee was very drunk and did not act properly."

The behavior of police in Russia has been in the spotlight recently. Officers conducted mass arrests during a march in support of the investigative journalist Ivan Golunov, who was detained on drug charges and reportedly beaten up.

Civil rights groups say over 400 people were arrested in the peaceful march earlier in June, according to CBS.

Police claimed that Golunov had drugs on him, which he said were planted. His arrest sparked outrage across the country. He was later released and no charges were laid.

Russian law enforcement has been criticized over how it deals with LGBT people in Chechnya, Jehovah's Witnesses and other prisoners.

A report this month said that one in 10 Russians have experienced torture at the hands of the police.

The independent Levada Centre surveyed 3,400 Russians across 53 regions, although 40 percent of respondents said they believed torture helped solve crimes.

Three-quarters of respondents who claimed they had been tortured said police used violence to humiliate and intimidate them and one-third said the violence was inflicted as punishment.

The survey showed "frightening evidence that law enforcement officers use violence against detainees and use it often," The Moscow Times reported.