Nemtsov shot in the heart, died instantly

Russian President Vladimir Putin has personally tasked the heads of the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Federal Security Service with managing the investigation into the homicide of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov. In an executive order, Putin stressed that the “brutal murder” appears to be a hired killing intended to damage the Kremlin's reputation

Boris Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister and prominent critic of Vladimir Putin, was shot to death in the center of Moscow, just minutes from the Kremlin, on Friday, February 27. Nemtsov was 55 years old.

The gunman fired 7-8 shots, hitting Nemtsov in the head, heart, stomach, and liver, killing him instantly.

The killer fired from inside a moving white car. Investigators say they have the license plate number, but they’ve yet to locate the vehicle.

The key witness in the murder—a woman accompanying Nemtsov at the time of the shooting—is alive and unharmed. The police have not released her name to the public.