A minimum of eight killed in Russian college taking pictures – native authorities By Reuters

By Maxim Rodionov, Alexander Marrow and Tom Balmforth

MOSCOW (Reuters) -A minimum of seven college youngsters and one trainer had been killed on Tuesday and plenty of extra wounded after a lone teenage gunman opened hearth in a faculty within the Russian metropolis of Kazan, the mayor’s workplace stated, prompting a Kremlin name for tighter gun controls.

Two youngsters may very well be seen leaping from the third flooring of the four-storey College Quantity 175 to flee as gunshots rang out, in a video filmed by an onlooker that was circulated by Russia’s RIA information company.

Calling the assault a giant tragedy for the entire nation, Rustam Minnikhanov, the top of the broader Tatarstan area, stated there was no proof that anybody else had been concerned.

“We’ve got misplaced seven youngsters…4 boys and three ladies. And 16 individuals, 12 youngsters and 4 adults, are in hospital,” Minnikhanov informed state TV.

“The terrorist has been arrested. He is a 19-year-old who was formally registered as a gun proprietor.”

Footage posted on social media confirmed a younger man being pinned to the bottom outdoors the varsity constructing by a police officer.

An unconfirmed social media account belonging to the alleged shooter, which was later blocked, contained posts during which he described himself as a bloodthirsty deity and stated he deliberate to kill a “large quantity” of individuals earlier than taking pictures himself.

It was doable the toll would nonetheless rise. Six youngsters had been in grave situation in hospital, RIA stated. Earlier, Russian information companies, citing a well being ministry supply, stated 11 individuals had died.

“We heard the sounds of explosions initially of the second lesson. All of the academics locked the youngsters within the lecture rooms. The taking pictures was on the third flooring,” stated one trainer, quoted by Tatar Inform, an area media outlet.

A hall inside the varsity was proven strewn with particles, together with smashed glass and damaged doorways, in unconfirmed video circulated by the Baza media outlet. One other nonetheless picture confirmed a physique on the ground of a blood-stained classroom.

Different footage confirmed emergency service autos parked outdoors the varsity, with individuals working in direction of the constructing.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the top of the nationwide guard to attract up tighter gun rules, the Kremlin stated.

The alleged gunman was issued a allow for a Hatsan Escort PS shotgun on April 28, Alexander Khinshtein, a lawmaker within the decrease home of parliament, wrote on social media.

Kazan is the capital of the Muslim-majority area of Tatarstan and situated round 450 miles (725 km) east of Moscow.

The incident was Russia’s deadliest college taking pictures since 2018 when a pupil at a university in Russian-annexed Crimea killed 20 individuals earlier than turning his gun on himself.