Prosecutor’s office said that Erosi Kitsmarishvili, a former owner of Rustavi 2 TV and ex-ambassador to Russia, who was found dead in his own car in a garage of an apartment block in Vake district of Tbilisi on July 15, had one gunshot wound to the head.

It also said that a firearm from which a shot was “probably” fired was found at the scene.

This firearm, according to the prosecutor’s office, was registered by Kitsmarishvili in his name earlier on the same day, July 15.

Prosecutor’s office said that although formal investigation into death of Erosi Kitsmarishvili has been launched under article 115 of criminal code, which deals with alleged cases of bringing a victim to a suicide, investigators are examining “various” lines of inquiry.

Launching of the investigation under the suicide clause was stemming from “factual circumstances existing on the initial stage”, the prosecutor’s office said. 

Initial text of this statement by prosecutor’s office was reading that “murder, suicide and other” lines of inquiry were examined. But this part was removed from the amended text of the statement on the website of prosecutor’s office.

The original text was not carrying a detail about firearm’s registration date; only the amended version specified that it was registered by Kitsmarishvili on July 15.

News about Kitsmarishvili’s death broke late on Tuesday afternoon. He was found dead in a garage of the apartment block where he had lived in Vake district.

Many of his friends and colleagues, who had spoken with him recently, were saying that Kitsmarishvili was building plans for the future, was very energetic and optimistic, and they do not believe it was a suicide.

A joint team of investigators from prosecutor’s office and the ministry of internal affairs is investigating the case, according to prosecutor’s office.