A Russian teenager on Thursday shot dead a classmate and injured five others before killing herself in a school in Bryansk near the Ukrainian border, investigators said.
“A 14-year-old girl brought a pump-action shotgun to school, which she used to shoot her classmates. As a result, two died – one of them the shooter – and there are five wounded,” the Investigative Committee said in a statement.
Authorities did not name the shooter, but said the victim was a female classmate in the secondary school in the Bryansk suburb.
“The motives behind the crime and all the circumstances are being established,” the Instigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said.
The five wounded had been taken to medical facilities, it said.
Regional governor Alexander Bogomaz called it a “terrible tragedy”.
The news outlet Mash published what it said was a photograph of the dead shooter, sprawled on the floor and dressed all in black. It said she was also armed with a hunting knife.
Together with law enforcement agencies, we are determining the circumstances under which the student was able to obtain and bring a weapon to school
The photo appeared to show a long-handled knife tucked into her right boot.
“Together with law enforcement agencies, we are determining the circumstances under which the student was able to obtain and bring a weapon to school,” Bogomaz said.
Gunman opens fire at Russian university, killing at least 6
Gunman opens fire at Russian university, killing at least 6
In western Russian city of Izhevsk in September last year, a gunman killed 18 people at a school.