Six dead after gunman opens fire at Russian university

Beyond saying he was a student, authorities offered no further information on his identity or possible motive.

During the attack, students and staff at Perm State University locked themselves in rooms, and video posted on Russian news sites showed some jumping out of second-storey windows.

In some footage, a black-clad, helmeted figure could be seen striding on a campus pavement cradling a long-barrelled weapon.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s top body for criminal probes, said the gunman fired a smoothbore hunting weapon, which could indicate he used a shotgun.

The Investigative Committee said six people were killed, revising down its earlier figure of eight.

A traffic police unit was the first to reach the scene, and the suspect opened fire on them, according to the Interior Ministry. He was wounded when police returned fire and then was disarmed, the ministry said.

The gunman also was armed with a knife, it said.

Although firearms laws are strict in Russia, many people obtain permits for hunting weapons.

News reports cited officials as saying the suspect had a permit for a pump-action shotgun, although it was not clear if it was the weapon used.

In May, a gunman opened fire at a school in the city of Kazan, killing seven students and two teachers, with a registered weapon.

A student at a college in Russia-annexed Crimea killed 20 students and himself in 2018.

The university in Perm, which has 12,000 students, said about 3,000 people were on the campus at the time of the shooting.

The city of Perm is about 700 miles east of Moscow with a population of about a million.

The Investigative Committee said 28 people were injured, with some admitted to hospital.

The Health Ministry said 19 were shot. Ot was not clear how the others were injured.