At least 6 people were killed and several others injured when a gunman opened fire at a Russian university campus on Monday, investigators said, which has been recorded as the country's second mass shooting in 2021 that targeted students.
Several online users have shared videos on social media platforms that showed people throwing their belongings from the windows of several university buildings. The scene of the crime was in the central city of Perm, where individuals were seen jumping out of windows to flee the suspect.
Russian Mass Shooting
There were reported injuries among people at the crime scene, the Investigative Committee, which is responsible for probing major crimes, said. They noted that the suspect for the Perm State National Research University shooter was a student at the school and was wounded during an encounter with law enforcement personnel. Initially, the death toll was announced as eight, but officials later revised it down to six.
Amateur video footage of the incident seemingly showed the attack, where an individual dressed in black tactical clothing and a helmet, carried a weapon and walked through the campus. The health ministry said 24 people were being treated for injuries related to the shooting, where 19 had gunshot wounds, CBS News reported.
During the assault, students and teachers in the campus barricaded themselves inside the university building as others scrambled to flee the attacker. One of the first to arrive at the scene, Officer Konstanin Kalinin, was able to disarm the gunman of both his knife and gun before administering first aid.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement that the shooting was "a great loss not only for the families who lost their children but for the whole country." The suspect began shooting at about 11:00 a.m. as one professor described the situation of students leaping out of the buildings as horrific.
The professor said he was notified by a student that there was a shooting taking place at the university. Shortly after, gunshots were heard and everyone started to scramble in different directions. The professor proceeded to go to his students at the second building while hearing the gunshot sounds, BBC reported.
University Shooting of Students
The number of injured individuals reported by officials was not certain and varied from six to 14. The university where the shooting took place was located 700 miles east of Moscow and had a population of about one million people. The school had about 12,000 students enrolled at the time of the crime.
Authorities did not immediately reveal the identity or any other information regarding the shooter who instigated the crime. They also did not disclose the possible motive for the crime. The shooting occurred after another earlier in May where a gunman opened fire at a school in Kazan that resulted in the deaths of seven students and two teachers, the New York Post reported.
The shooting also resulted in the injury of 21 other people who were mostly children. Authorities arrested a 19-year-old suspect in relation to the crime. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin spoke of "great sorrow" after the tragedy.
Related Article:
