West Russia shooting leaves 6 dead

PanARMENIAN.Net - Six people were shot dead in the city of Belgorod in southwest Russia on Monday, April 22 afternoon, police said, according to RIA Novosti.

Police said the assailant opened “random fire” at about 2 p.m. (10:00 GMT), before fleeing in the vehicle in which he had arrived at the scene.

The state-run Rossiya 24 TV channel said the assailant was armed with a rifle and had begun shooting on the street before moving into a nearby store.

The car was later found by police, who identified the suspect as a man of around 30 years of age with a criminal record. Special forces officers have been deployed to the address the suspect is believed to be holed up at, a law enforcement source told RIA Novosti.

Police and the city administration said a 14-year-old girl was among the dead, five of whom died at the scene of the attack. The sixth victim died shortly after in hospital.

Media reports suggested a second suspect was involved in the attack, but this has not been confirmed by police.

The attack comes some six months after a Moscow lawyer shot dead six people in the Russian capital in what was believed to have been his violent response to the end of a romance.