Russian school shooting leaves at least nine dead
At least nine people were killed in a school shooting in the Russian city of Kazan on Tuesday, an official said.
Nine people were confirmed to be dead and 21 injured, according to the press office of the republic’s leader, Rustam Minnikhanov. He called the shootings a “great tragedy.”
Seven of those killed were schoolchildren and two were teachers, according to ABC News, which cited Russian media outlets.
Witnesses also said they had heard an explosion. Videos shared in social media showed smoke rising from a white building. There were sounds of screaming.
Children jumped from the windows of the third floor of the building, a local television broadcaster reported.
At least 18 schoolchildren were being treated in hospital, and at least six were in critical condition, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the authorities. Medics are already performing operations.
Doctors were also treating children with broken bones and bruises, the report said. Three adults were also injured.
Doctors, the regional health minister and 21 ambulances had been dispatched to the school, the TASS news agency reported, citing a Health Ministry official.
A 19-year-old suspect was reportedly arrested. He was said to have graduated from school four years ago.
The shooting was said to have been announced on Telegram shortly before it began.
The suspect had reportedly entered the school’s main entrance, carrying a machine gun, and started shooting immediately. The gun was reportedly registered in the suspect’s name. He received his gun license in April.
There was only one perpetrator, a city spokesperson said, adding that earlier reports suggesting there were two were incorrect, Interfax reported.
The motives for the crime remained unclear. Minnikhanov described the suspect as a “terrorist.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims.
“The president expresses his deepest condolences to the relatives of the children who died at the hands of the gunman and wishes a speedy recovery to the schoolchildren who were injured,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, according to Interfax news agency.
Putin also called for new new regulations on civilian gun ownership, the report said.