A female student shot dead another student and injured five others at a Russian school today before turning the gun on herself.
Officials said the 14-year-old opened fire with a pump-action shotgun, and reports say the attack was carried out in a classroom at the school.
She killed one student and injured at least five others, officials said, before killing herself at the school in the Russian city of Bryansk, police said Thursday.
Those injured in the attack at school Gymnasium Number 5 were rushed to hospital, with one – a boy – reportedly in serious condition in intensive care.
Regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz called it a “terrible tragedy.” He said the five injured were all children with minor or moderate injuries.
According to initial reports from Russia, the shooter's name was Alina.
Two people have been killed and four others injured in a shooting at a Russian school
The news channel Mash published a photo of the dead gunman, sprawled on the ground next to a pool of blood and holding a shotgun, dressed all in black.
It said she was also armed with a hunting knife.
The photo appeared to show a long-handled knife tucked into her right boot.
Other images showed blood splattered on the ground among scattered chairs, desks and a shotgun shell.
The alleged shooter was also pictured in what appeared to be a school photo. Although her face was blurred, she was a blonde in a white school shirt.
Russian officials confirmed the attack.
“According to preliminary investigation data, a 14-year-old girl brought a pump-action shotgun to school, which she used to shoot at her classmates,” Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement.
“As a result of the incident, two people were killed (one of whom was the shooter), five were injured and have now been taken to a medical facility.”
Investigators were working to determine a motive, the statement said, and it is understood a murder investigation has been opened.
Students were evacuated from the school, with footage reportedly captured outside today showing them grouped outside in the snow.
Regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz said: “Today a terrible tragedy occurred in gym No. 5 in Bryansk.
'One of the students carried a firearm into the educational institution. Two children were killed, one of them was the girl who fired the gun.
“Five children were injured, two of them were slightly injured, three of them were moderately injured, all were taken to the regional children's hospital.
'They receive the necessary help. All operational services are active on the site.
“We are working with law enforcement authorities to investigate the circumstances under which the student was able to obtain and carry a weapon into the school.
“My sincere condolences to the parents of the girl who died at the hands of the gunman. This is an irreparable loss. The families of the dead girl and the injured children will receive all necessary assistance.”
Bryansk borders Ukraine, with the school about 105 kilometers from the border.
Weapons are normally tightly controlled in Russia, but Bryansk is one of several southern regions where cross-border attacks have taken place during the war with Ukraine and where Moscow has encouraged the formation of self-defense units.
Those injured in the attack on school Gymnasium Number 5 (pictured) were rushed to hospital, with one – a boy – reportedly in serious condition in intensive care.
Russia has seen several school shootings in recent years.
In 2018, an 18-year-old student killed 20 people, mostly fellow students, in a mass shooting at a university in Russian-occupied Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.
In September last year, a gunman wearing a swastika on his T-shirt killed 15 people, including 11 children, and injured 24 at a school in Izhevsk where he had once been a student. He then committed suicide, investigators said.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…