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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.