The perpetrator committed suicide, using his own gun.
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He was kicked out of the classroom for being late, but returned with a high-power shotgun and blasted fellow students at point-blank range. Witnesses have recalled the rampage at a college in Russia's Far East.© RIA Novosti / Yevgeny Zemtsov
Police stand guard outside the shooting site
What seemed to be a regular day turned into a nightmare for students of the Amur College of Construction and Utilities in the city of Blagoveshchensk, near the Chinese border. Their quiet, below-average classmate - who they say was bullied at school - turned into a cold-blooded gunman after a seemingly unremarkable incident on Thursday morning.
The 19-year-old student, identified by the media as Daniil Zasorin, was told to leave after he came late for class. It is hard to tell what was actually behind his decision to return with his firearm - legally obtained and registered to the shooter himself - constant bullying or something more painful.
Some students suggested it was vengeance against his classmates for allegedly raping his girlfriend, according to Telegram channel Mash. The crime, they say, occurred inside the college building, and was to become a bloodbath in a matter of minutes.
"The guy snuck the gun past the security guard, then entered the toilet and loaded it in there," a college student told Russia's 360 news outlet.© RIA Novosti
An entrance to the college building
While he was readying his weapon - reportedly a high-velocity smoothbore shotgun - he was spotted by another student who entered the toilet. For some unknown reason, the gunman decided not to open his body count at that time. He told the witness to jump out of the window if he wanted to live. The student survived the fall but broke both arms, according to 360.
Other witnesses reported that the shooter remained chillingly calm when he burst into the classroom. Surprisingly, he allowed a female teacher to run away, enabling her to call the police from a nearby store. But this didn't stop the rampage.
"He came in quietly," a witness told Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid.
"There was music playing - Nirvana, Kurt Cobain. He was doing this to the music."
Most of the class hid under tables, but some stood their ground. One classmate stood up, catching the gunman's eye. "Hey, are you immortal?" the shooter asked, moments before shooting his unarmed victim at point blank range with the comment: "Let's check it out!"
The shooter then opened fire indiscriminately, targeting everyone in his crosshairs. Panic and terror broke out, with some students managing to escape and reach the nearest police patrol car.
Officers rushed to the building and encountered the shooter as they went upstairs. They managed to force him back into the classroom, reportedly injuring him during a brief shootout. The authorities say he refused to surrender and turned the gun on himself.
"The bodies of two people, including the attacker, were discovered at the scene," police confirmed. Three more people were injured, including two teenagers and a young man, they said.
As the city is recovering from shock, the authorities have already said they will care for the family of the slain student and look after the injured. Special attention will also be given to ramping up security at other schools and universities.
Comment: RT adds that the barbarity exhibited by the protesters has inspired their supporters in London. A gang attacked Hong Kong's justice secretary Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah while she was in London to promote a Chinese business hub as a venue for conflict resolution. Cheng suffered "serious bodily harm" in the altercation and the UK Chinese Embassy said the incident showed that the "violent and lawless perpetrators" behind the protests were now affecting other nations. Footage of the incident recorded on Twitter:
See also: Democrazis run rampage in Hong Kong - Police chief warns 'society on brink of total breakdown'