Car Crash and Shooting in Ruse Sparked by Domestic Dispute

A crash and a shooting over a family scandal in Ruse took place early this morning on a busy street in the city. According to initial information, a 50-year-old man deliberately hit his wife's car while she was in it. Miraculously, no one was injured, though both vehicles sustained significant damage. The attacker has been detained by police.

The incident occured shortly before 8:00 am on May 23 in the Vazrazhdane district of Ruse.

Moments earlier, the woman had dropped off her child at kindergarten. As she drove away, her husband allegedly crashed his car into hers. He then exited the vehicle and began smashing her car with a hammer. Witnesses also reported hearing gunshots.

“The man crashed into her car, then got out with hammers and other tools and started smashing the windows. She quickly reversed and tried to escape, but he pulled out a gun and fired at her. We don’t know if it was a real firearm or if he fired blanks,” said Mustafov, the woman’s uncle.

“I saw the crash. One driver went over to the other car and started hitting the windows with a hammer,” added a witness.

The woman managed to flee and immediately alerted police. According to her uncle, the couple is going through a divorce and the man had already been issued a court restraining order, which he violated with today’s attack.

“Three weeks ago, he assaulted her physically. Today, we witnessed an attempted murder. She is in shock and extremely frightened,” Mustafov said.

The man was arrested, and pre-trial proceedings have been launched. Data from the Ruse District Court shows that 33 emergency protection orders have been issued in the first five months of 2025 alone. Between January 1 and May 15, there have been 64 domestic violence cases filed under the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act.

National statistics paint a troubling picture—more than 53,000 domestic violence reports were made to emergency number 112 in 2024. In Ruse, such reports have surged by 48% over the past three years. Currently, five women and five children are sheltered in the city's crisis center.