Residents of Astana have been circulating a video on WhatsApp showing a crowd of people and police cars near a bus stop. According to those who posted the footage, it was filmed near the Kazakhstan store on Zhubanov Street, between Kenesary and Abai streets. Witnesses claimed they heard gunshots and cries for help, and also alleged that there were fatalities, reports infohub.kz.
In response to a request from Kursiv, the Astana Police Department confirmed that officers did respond to the incident, but said the reports of injuries and deaths were untrue.
"Police received a call about gunshots in the courtyard of a residential building. Patrol police crews promptly arrived at the scene. It was preliminarily established that a group of young people in a state of alcohol intoxication were in the courtyard of the residential building, behaving aggressively," the police department said.
According to police, one of the building's residents, attempting to prevent the unlawful actions, fired a warning shot into the air from a gas pistol.
All those involved in the conflict were detained at the scene and taken to the police station. Measures will be taken against the offenders in accordance with the law.
Earlier, Kursiv reported on a shooting in the village of Akshukur in the Mangystau region, where two men sustained serious injuries.