RTMon, 26 Sep 2022 08:06 UTC
Ammunition used by the attacker at the school in Izhevsk, which bears the word “Hatred” in Russian.
Fifteen people were killed and many others injured in a shooting incident at a school in the city of Izhevsk in Russia's Urals region on Monday, the country's Investigative Committee has said.
The male suspect was wearing a ski mask and a black T-shirt featuring Nazi symbols, officials added. They said he died by suicide after the attack and his identity is currently being established.
At least eleven of the victims were students at School No. 88 in the city, which has a population of over 600,000.Two security guards and several teachers were also killed, the Investigative Committee said.The attack has left 24 people injured, including 22 children, according to the agency.The suspect was armed with two nonlethal pistols that had been altered to fire live ordnance, Russian lawmaker Aleksandr Khinshtein has claimed.
"A tragedy happened in Udmurtia today," Republic of Udmurtia Governor Aleksandr Berchalov told journalists.
The school where the shooting took place has been evacuated, according to the education ministry.
Footage from the scene showed students and teachers running from the building, as well as victims being carried to ambulances on stretchers.Photos from inside the classrooms where students had barricaded themselves during the shooting have also appeared online.
Izhevsk is the capital of the Russian Republic of Udmurtia, and is located near the Ural mountains, which divide Europe from Asia.
Comment: More
from RT:
The rampage occurred early in the day, when the suspect, identified only as a 34-year-old graduate, stormed the school. The man was sporting all-black clothing with Nazi symbols on them, graphic footage circulating online suggests. The suspect was armed with two semi-automatic less-lethal pistols, illegally altered to use regular ammunition, according to Russian authorities.
The suspect killed himself after confronted by law enforcement, while a large number of unused magazines, some with the word "Hatred!" inscribed on them, were recovered at the scene. According to Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov, the suspect was a registered mental patient diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a criminal probe into the mass shooting, seeking to establish the exact motives behind the rampage and the source of the gunman's weaponry. The Udmurt Republic has announced a four-day period of mourning to commemorate the victims of the attack.
And there was another shooting in Russia on the same day. Again,
from RT:
A military recruitment officer was severely wounded after a man opened fire at a center in the town of Ust-Ilimsk in Irkutsk Region in Russia's Siberia on Monday morning, the local authorities have said. There were no other casualties in the attack, they added.
The incident occurred amid partial mobilization in Russia, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. According to Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, 300,000 reservists are going to be drafted amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
A video has allegedly captured the perpetrator shooting chief enlistment officer Aleksandr Eliseyev from point blank as the victim was delivering a speech before the recruits. The gunman then shouted: "Everybody out," with all the people who were in the room rushing outside in a panic.
"We came to the recruitment center and handed out papers. The chief recruitment officer took us to the conference room and began speaking about the situation in the country. That's when the gunman jumped up from his seat; after that he shot at the officer," one of the witnesses recalled, adding that at least two shots were fired.
The attack was first confirmed by Irkutsk Region governor Igor Kobzev, who wrote on Telegram that the wounded chief enlistment officer was placed "in intensive care in critical condition. The doctors are now fighting for his life."
The governor said that he was "ashamed that such a thing happens at a time when all of us must stand united" and announced additional security measures in the region.
The national guard said that the suspect tried fleeing the scene, but was detained by its troops. A sawed-off gun was seized from him. The man hasn't been registered as the owner of the weapon, the force added.
An investigative committee has described the shooter as a 25-year-old local man, saying that criminal cases on attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and illegal possession of arms have been launched against him.
The motives for the attack are currently being established. Some local media outlets claimed the attacker was one of the recruits called up as part of the partial mobilization, but it hasn't been officially confirmed yet.
Comment: More from RT: And there was another shooting in Russia on the same day. Again, from RT: