Teen gunman kills 8 in school shooting spree
A TEENAGER has killed seven students and a teacher during a gun rampage at a school in the Russian city of Kazan.
Four boys and three girls, all aged between 13 and 14, died in the shooting by a former student at School 175 in the capital of the Tatarstan republic.
Officials said 21 others – all thought to be children and teachers – were taken to hospital.
Footage posted on social media showed a young man – named locally as Ilnaz Renatovich Galyaviev, 19 – being pinned to the ground by a police officer.
He posted an online photo of himself wearing a mask before the attack at the school, where several explosions were reported and two unexploded bombs were found.
Tatarstan president Rustam Minnikhanov said a ‘terrorist’ had been arrested and that the firearm used in the shooting was registered in the suspect’s name.
Describing the killings as a ‘great tragedy for the nation’, he said: ‘No other accomplices have been established.’ He added that security at the school had been restored.
Russian media released a video showing children running out of the building as smoke billowed from windows. Ambulances were also seen lining up outside the school entrance. Some students were trapped inside during the attack. All were eventually evacuated to day care centres and collected by their families. Galyaviev reportedly referred to himself as ‘a god’ on messaging app Telegram and promised shortly before yesterday’s attack to ‘kill a large amount of biomass’. Police have opened an investigation into the shooting.
Security forces keep. watch outside Kazan school