Gay Man Allegedly Set Ablaze By Homophobic Neighbor, Victim Succumbs To Injuries

A possible hate crime claimed the life of a Latvian paramedic who was allegedly set ablaze by his homophobic neighbor. The incident initially declared a fire accident is now being investigated as a murder.

The victim, 29-year-old Normunds Kindzulis, died on April 28, after he was set on fire allegedly by his homophobic neighbor.

On April 22, emergency services responded to a home in the Tukums town, after the victim’s roommate reported the burning.

Artis Juanklavins woke up to his roommate's screams and discovered him engulfed in flames outside their door.

"I woke up from screams in the corridor. Normunds was flaming like a torch," Jaunklavins told Delfi. "I tried to put out the flames, I carried him in and put him in the bath but the burns were too severe, his clothing had fried into his skin."

According to local sources, the neighbor reportedly wanted the victim and his roommate to move out of their shared apartment building. Kindzulis and Jaunklavins resorted to police protection after they received numerous threats from their homophobic neighbor.

"We reported the threat to both the police and the neighbor's workplace, but no reaction followed," Jaunklavins explained. "We had to wait for the person to be mutilated or killed!"

A state police official confirmed receiving a report about the threats in the past but decided not to initiate an investigation.

"Previously, once in November 2020, the victim had reported the threats to the police," an official said. "Following examination of this information, a decision was taken to refuse to initiate criminal proceedings and no appeal was lodged against this decision."

Jaunklavins said it was upsetting to see the local paper and the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) reporting the incident as an accident from a pile of burning clothes.

"He has 85 percent burns, and doctors are fighting for a friend's life!" Jaunklavins continued. "But you write that a pile of rags has burned!"

The crime is being investigated, Andrejs Grisins, deputy chief of state police has now confirmed.

"We will investigate objectively, regardless of people’s affiliation with a certain race or group of people," Grisins told Delfi. "The state police have never sorted people by any affiliation in their investigations and applications."

Grisins told reporters that the hateful neighbors might have driven the victim to take his own life.

“Bringing someone to the brink of suicide is also a crime,” he told reporters last week.

The neighbor has not yet been identified and no arrests have been reported.