(MOSCOW) — A gunman opened fire at a university in the Russian city of Perm on Monday, killing at least 8 people and injuring about two dozen others, according to Russian authorities.
Police said they detained the alleged shooter at Perm State University following a gunfight, during which the suspect was wounded. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which handles serious crimes, said it has identified the suspect as a student of the university.
Videos posted on social media showed panicked students jumping out of windows to escape the attack and barricading themselves inside classrooms. The Russian Ministry of Health said at least 19 people were injured and receiving medical care.
Russian media published videos purportedly showing the alleged gunman, dressed in black and carrying a long firearm, as he approached Perm State University’s campus. Several Russian news outlets have named the suspect and cited a lengthy post on Russian social network VKontakte from an account allegedly belonging to him that described a plan to carry out a mass killing.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it has opened a murder investigation and is investigating the circumstances of the shooting.
The regional governor of Perm, Dmitry Makhonin, said earlier that the shooter was killed during the attack; but this was not confirmed by police, who said he was injured and detained.
Monday’s mass shooting was one of the deadliest in recent Russian history. Unlike in the United States, school shootings are rare in Russia; though attacks by students have started to become more frequent in recent years. In 2018, an 18 year-old student shot and killed 20 people and wounded 70 others before taking his own life at Kerch Polytechnic College in Crimea.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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