An elderly gunman dressed as Santa Claus shot dead a shopkeeper with a gun hidden under his red robe in an alleged act of revenge.
The store’s owner, Yuriy Surakin, 54, died instantly moments after posing for a selfie with the suspected gunman, Valery Vasiliev, 71, in disguise.
As Russia celebrates Orthodox Christmas Eve today, the suspect has been accused of hiding the firearm under his Santa Claus costume and shooting the local businessman in what has been described as an “act of revenge” due to his “personal hostility.” .
Russian authorities detained Vasiliev after the deadly shooting and a court remanded him into custody for two months while a murder investigation is launched.
The strange shooting in the city of Kanash, in the Chuvashia region, was caught on a security camera.
Fake Santa Claus, commonly known in Russia as Grandfather Frost, entered the Beryozka appliance store and posed for photographs with the store owner.
The images show the old man with a long false beard and glasses that hide most of his face.
Vasiliev had the weapon hidden in his red and silver festive suit, according to the Russian Investigative Committee.
The store’s 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 under his costume.
The elderly real estate tycoon shot the local businessman in what has been described as an “act of revenge” due to his “personal hostility.”
Surakin is believed to have been shot because he was a former police officer who had previously been responsible for imprisoning the man.
One theory circulating in local media is that Surakin, a former police officer, was behind his attacker’s prison sentence and that the shooting was an act of revenge.
Surakin, a father of seven and grandfather, “previously put the shooter behind bars,” the Bad News channel said.
“After being released, the man decided to take revenge.”
But this committee is also investigating whether the city owed any debt to his alleged killer.
The suspect, who owns a property portfolio, fled after the shooting but was found in Vutaboshi village.
A wanted poster said: “The suspect is of stocky build, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall.”
“He was wearing a red Santa costume and white felt boots.
“He had a white beard and clear glasses.”
According to authorities, he had been on the run for less than a day.
Given this, wanted images of the alleged murderer circulated.
In footage from a store’s security camera, the fake Santa Claus can be seen wandering around in his costume.
Vasiliev put on a long white beard and glasses to hide his face.
Russian authorities detained Vasiliev after the deadly shooting and a court has remanded him into custody for two months while a murder investigation is launched.
Former police officer and father of seven Surakin “previously put the shooter behind bars,” the Bad News channel said.
But this isn’t the first case of a Santa gone wrong: shocking footage emerged in 2019 of a fake Santa shooting two guns at a former Voice of Ireland star’s parents’ home.
CCTV captured the man dressed in a red and white suit casually walking down a residential street in west Belfast before unloading a six-round magazine into the property.
He then pulled out a second gun with his left hand and fired six more bullets into the home of George Richmond, 59, and his wife Geraldine, 57, before running away.
The couple, whose daughter Georgina, 33, was a finalist on popular talent show The Voice of Ireland in 2016, had to flee their home after a series of alleged IRA attacks.