Uzbek media reports say a Tashkent police officer who struck and killed two people with a car has been released from prison after serving only six months of his seven-year sentence.

Bakhtiyor Tolipov, 22, was driving a police vehicle in April when he hit three pedestrians, killing a 33-year-old man and a five-year-old girl and severely injuring a woman. The victims were members of the same family.

Some reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying the driver was drunk, speeding, and passing another police vehicle when the accident occurred.

It is unclear exactly when Talipov was freed. He was reportedly released under an amnesty approved by parliament in mid-November.

Ferghananews.com reported on December 29 that relatives of the victims were "shocked" at his release and called it an unjust decision.

With reporting by fergananews.com