At Least Six People Were Killed In Shooting At Russian University

MOSCOW, Russia — According to Russian police, a gunman opened fire at a Russian University in the Russian city of Perm on Monday, killing at least six people and wounding over two dozen others.

The shooter, who authorities said was a Perm State University student, entered a classroom building where lessons were being held and began firing with a shotgun.

Officers approached and captured the gunman after he was badly injured in a shootout, according to police. According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, which deals with major crimes, he was taken to a hospital for medical care and is currently in critical condition.

Police first stated that eight individuals had been murdered, but health officials subsequently reduced that number to six as of late Monday afternoon. According to Perm’s health ministry, 28 persons sought medical help with injuries ranging from minor to severe, with 19 of them suffering from bullet wounds.

Videos uploaded on social media shortly after the incident showed terrified kids jumping out of windows to flee and barricading themselves inside classrooms.

Semyon Karyakin, a second-year geology student, claimed he heard gunshots while in the elevator on his way downstairs after class.

“The doors opened, two females ran in, and there were bullets behind them,” Karayakin said over the phone to ABC News.

He said that the elevator door opened onto the corridor where the shooter had just entered the building and that the assailant had fired bullets at the two ladies.

According to him, the kids withdrew up a level, but the gunman had already made his way up the stairs.

“We were lucky again because the elevator managed to close and we were able to get out.” Otherwise, I wouldn’t be speaking with you,” he explained.

According to him, the gang hid in a classroom, attempting to enlist the help of other students, and locked themselves there until the police came.

According to authorities, the gunman was detained by a traffic officer who happened to be on campus.

Officer Konstantin Kalinin told Russian media that he and his colleague rushed to the building after a witness informed them that a gunman was present. While his companion assisted with the evacuation, Kalinin stated he went in search of the attacker.

In a video interview, Kalinin stated, “I went into the building to the first level, and I observed how an armed young man was coming down the stairs.” “I yelled at him, ‘Drop it,’ and he aimed his pistol at me and fired several bullets. Following that, I used my firearm.”

Kalinin claimed he rushed up to the shooter after he collapsed and kicked his guns away.

“After that, I began giving him first aid,” he explained.

Timur Bekmansurov, an 18-year-old law student, was named as the suspect by Russian official media. Bekmansurov’s name appeared in a lengthy post on the Russian social media network VKontakte soon before the assault, in which he recounts dreaming about carrying out the mass slaughter in a public area. The individual said in the post that he has no religious or political motivation for the crime and that he has fantasized about it “for years.”

A post that went along with it showed the alleged shooter wearing a helmet and carrying ammo cartridges around his torso while giving the camera the finger.

The Investigative Committee of Russia has launched a murder inquiry and is looking into the circumstances surrounding the killing. According to Russia’s National Guard, Bekmansurov purchased the shotgun used in the attack in May and had obtained it lawfully.

The mass shooting in Russia on Monday was one of the worst in recent memory. School shootings are uncommon in Russia, unlike in the United States, however, student attacks have become increasingly common in recent years. In 2018, an 18-year-old student at Kerch Polytechnic College in Crimea shot and murdered 20 people while injuring 70 others before killing himself.

As a result, there has recently been a call for authorities to enhance gun ownership protections. In May of this year, a 19-year-old opened fire at a school in Kazan, killing nine people and injuring 20 others using a firearm he had lawfully obtained. Following the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered that gun ownership regulations be strengthened.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, defended the government’s attempts to reinforce the rules on Monday, saying that work had been done in this regard.

“However, as you can see, the tragedy has occurred, and now it must be investigated,” he told reporters.