Russian school shooting in Kazan kills 7 students, 1 teacher; suspect arrested
MOSCOW – A gunman attacked a school Tuesday morning in the Russian city of Kazan, killing eight people – seven eighth grade students and a teacher – and leaving 21 hospitalized with wounds, Russian officials said.
Footage released by Russian media outlets showed students running out of the building. Another video depicted shattered windows and billowing smoke, and there were sounds of possible gunshots. Dozens of ambulances lined up at the school's entrance after the attack, and police fenced off access to the building.
Russian media said some students were able to escape, and others were trapped inside during the ordeal. All students were eventually evacuated to nearby day care centers and collected by their families.
Officials said the attacker was arrested, and police opened a criminal investigation into the shooting.
Rustam Minnikhanov, governor of the Tatarstan republic where Kazan is the capital, said four boys and three girls, all eighth grade students, died in the shooting. Minnikhanov's press service said a teacher was also killed.
"The terrorist has been arrested, (he is) 19 years old. A firearm is registered in his name. Other accomplices haven't been established, an investigation is underway," Minnikhanov said after visiting the school, adding that security had been restored.
Authorities said additional security measures were immediately put into place in all schools in Kazan, a city 430 miles east of Moscow. They announced a day of mourning on Wednesday to honor the victims of the shooting.
According to Tatarstan health officials, 21 people were hospitalized with wounds after the attack, including 18 children, six of whom were in intensive care.
Russia's state RIA Novosti news agency reported earlier that 11 people had been killed in the Kazan shooting. There was no way to immediately reconcile the differing death tolls.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the shooting, ordering the government to provide them with all the necessary assistance.
Putin ordered Viktor Zolotov, head of Russia's National Guard, to revise the regulations on types of weapons allowed for civilian use.
Russia's Emergency Ministry sent a plane carrying doctors and medical equipment to Kazan, and Health Minister Mikhail Murashko and Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov also headed to the region.
Though such shootings are relatively rare in Russia, there have been several violent attacks on schools in recent years, mostly carried out by students.
