Gunman opens fire in Russian University killing Eight, suspect presumed dead

Police block the road near the scene after a gunman opened fire at the Perm State University in Perm, Russia. Photo: REUTERS/Anna Vikhareva.

According to police authorities, a student opened fire at a university in the Russian city of Perm on Monday, killing at least eight people and injuring several others.

According to Natalia Pechishcheva, a university spokesman, the gunman was killed after the shootings at Perm State University, around 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) east of Moscow.

She stated, "He was liquidated," His prone body was seen on the ground outdoors in footage from the scene.

According to earlier media footage from the incident, students jumped from first-floor windows to leave the building, landing heavily on the ground before racing to safety.

The students constructed barricades out of chairs to prevent the shooter from accessing their classrooms.

According to the Investigative Committee, the gunman was recognized as a university student, which handles significant criminal investigations.

"In the classroom, there were roughly 60 people. We barricaded the entrance with chairs and closed it "Semyon Karyakin, a student, told Reuters.

Local media identified the gunman as an 18-year-old student who had previously shared a social media photo of himself holding a weapon, helmet, and ammunition.

He wrote on a social media account ascribed to him that was later taken down, "I've thought about this for a long time, it's been years and I realised the time had come to do what I dreamt of,"

He stated that his actions were motivated by hatred rather than politics or religion.

Although civilian firearm ownership in Russia is strictly regulated, some firearms are accessible for purchase for hunting, self-defense, or sport once potential owners pass examinations and meet other regulations.

The shootings were the most recent in a string of incidents.

In May of this year, a lone teen gunman opened fire at a school in Kazan, killing nine people and injuring dozens more.

That was the bloodiest school massacre in Russia since a student at a college in Russian-annexed Crimea murdered 20 people before turning his gun on himself in 2018.

After the Kazan incident, Russia raised the legal age for purchasing firearms from 18 to 21, although the new rule has yet to effect.

Publish : 2021-09-20 16:34:00

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