Attempted assassination of Ernest Pyle

Attempted Assassination of Ernest Pyle
Part of Global 2020 Anti-Terranihil Protests
Crime Scene Investigators at work outside of the park.
Date	June 4, 2020
Location	Middle Park, Liberty City, Paleocacher
Goals	Assassinate Ernest Pyle
Methods	Sniper shot from a rooftop, escape by plane
Status	Failed, Wrong person shot, Multiple Perpetrators arrested
Parties to the civil conflict
G4S Government of Terranihil (alleged) Government of Paleocacher Liberty City Police Department Department of Public Security
Lead figures
Lev Shchegolyayev Dreichren Ermák (alleged) Ernest Pyle James Fulkerson
Number
6 Xussman Mercenaries from G4S 200+ Police officers and security personnel unknown number of civilians
Casualties and losses
0 10

On June 4, 2020, a Xussman mercenary in cooperation with five others attempted but failed to assassinate Paleocacherian journalist Ernest Pyle during an awards ceremony in Liberty City. The sniper's round hit Mayor Raimundo Galicias in the head, killing him. The mercenary attempted to escape.

Background

Ernest Pyle is a Paleocacherian investigative journalist who travelled to Terranihil and conducted an illegal investation into the Malgan ethnic cleansing. He interviewed several workers at Soislaan reeducation facility, a X worker who claimed his company sold toxic chemicals to Terranihil, and flew a drone over the reeducaiton facility to capture pictures. He managed to safely flee the country and published his findings in an article titled An Exposé of Conditions in Malgan Re-Education Camps on May 29, 2020. Pyle claimed that he had obtained evidence of the Terranilian government's systematic extermination of Malgans.

The Terranilian government denied Pyle's allegations and condemned his actions. On June 2, the Terranilian Department of Foreign Affairs released a statement condeming Pyle, branding him a terrorist, and calling for his assassination.

Assassination attempt and escape

On June 3, 2020, six Xussman mercenaries disguised as tourists arrived in Liberty City from Nevidimir. An incident involving a firearm at the same airport the mercenaries arrived at occurred shortly after their flight landed. They stayed at a hotel in Middle City for a single night.

On the afternoon of June 4, 2020, Ernest Pyle attended an outdoor awards ceremony for the Palliser Award for the Arts for his journalistic work regarding the Malgan ethnic cleansing in Middle City, at which Mayor Raimundo Galicias attended. An estimated 1500 people attended the ceremony as well.

As the ceremony was set up, five of the mercenaries also prepared to assassinate Pyle from the rooftop of the hotel they stayed at. They set up a zip-line from the hotel to another building, Belmont Arms Hotel, at which a getaway SUV and driver were prepared. As Mayor Galicias handed Pyle his award, the sniper fired a single round. Instead of hitting Pyle, it struck Galicias in the head. The mercenaries used the zip-line to flee the hotel roof. The crowd erupted in panic and the police immediately began responding. Ambulances arrive shortly after to take Galicias to the hospital.

A parking enforcement officer at the Belmont Arms Hotel, unaware of the transpiring events, approached the getaway vehicle for a parking violation. She called over two police officers for assistance. The mercenary in the vehicle, later identified as Lev Shchegolyayev, seemingly panicked and began firing rounds at the officers, killing one of the police officers and injuring the other two. The injured parking enforcement officer managed to open the door of the shooters vehicle and began striking him with her ticket computer. Several bystanders assisted the officer in beating, disarming, and restraining the mercenary with no further casualties. Shchegolyayev was arrested and treated for his injuries, including a broken nose and minor concussion at Vellebue Hospital Center.

After the other five mercenaries witnessed the shooting, they fled behind the hotel and hijacked a car. They drove towards the shore of Liberty City. An unmarked seaplane landed on the shore of Liberty City as the events transpired. Police begin chasing the vehicle. The mercenaries opened fire on police and hit several pedestrians with the stolen car. A helicopter and more police chased after the vehicle but remained a safe distance away to avoid being shot. The mercenaries reached the sea plane and it managed to escape Paleocacherian authorities.

Paleocacher alerted its neighbors Reia and Eminople of the escaped plane. The plane approached Sasebo, Reia to refuel. The Reian navy detected the plane and deployed several jets. The Xussman mercenaries ejected out of the plane and descended using parachutes. The plane crashed into the ocean and the mercenaries landed on the island's shore. A firefight erupted between the mercenaries and Reian military forces, injuring two Reians. The mercenaries surrendered and were arrested by Reian forces.

There were five total fatalities, including Mayor Galicias, the police officer, and three pedestrians killed by the fleeing mercenaries, and ten additional casualties.

Trials and extradition

Shchegolyayev

The Xussman getaway driver, Lev Shchegolyayev, refused to cooperate with Paleocacherian law enforcement. The Xussman government requested his immediate extradition. The Superior Court of Liberty City charged Shchegolyayev with multiple crimes including murder to which he pleaded not guilty and requested deportation to Xusma.

Other mercenaries

Immediately after the dissapearance of the seaplane, Paleocacher requested that Xusma extradite the five mercenaries. Paleocacher also requested that G4S CEO Lev Chegolyayev testify in Liberty City. Xusma stated that the whereabouts of the five mercenaries are unknown and that it would not cooperate until Shchegolyayev was extradited to Xusma.