Injuries reported after hammer attack at Siberian school
A student armed with a hammer, a knife, and allegedly a gun has assaulted three of his classmates and a female teacher at a school in the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia’s Siberia, local authorities have said.
Three students, all aged 13, and a teacher were hospitalized as a result of the attack at the city’s correctional school No.63 on Monday morning, Chelyabinsk Region’s health ministry said. Their condition is described as stable.
The attacker, who was also a pupil aged 13, had been detained by the servicemen of Rosgvardiya (Russia’s National Guard), according to the police.
The Russian media identified the boy as Roman. He reportedly attempted suicide after the attack, and was hospitalized with knife injuries.
The biology teacher who was attacked sustained injuries to his head, both hands, and his shoulder, but was able to scare off the assailant. He recalled the incident in an interview with RT.
She said Roman had run into the classroom armed with a hammer and a gun during a lesson. He screamed and instantly assaulted two girls, hitting them on the head with the hammer.
The teacher said she tried to stop the attacker, but ended up receiving several blows herself. The teen also hit another boy who tried to apprehend him. Roman dropped the hammer and fled the classroom as soon as she began crying for help, the woman said.
He did not use the pistol, which was later found in the hallway, she added. According to some reports, the gun was a replica and not an actual firearm.
The teacher said the teen was eventually found inside the school, hiding in a toilet. “He was standing with a huge knife, which was covered in blood. He cut himself on it,” she recalled.
The school’s security guard reportedly blocked the attacker in the lavatory until Rosgvardiya troops arrived.
According to the teacher, the victims sustained severe injuries in the assault and were “all covered in blood.” She added that she could not understand how Roman had been able to bring the weapons into the school despite it having a security guard and metal detector at the entrance.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched criminal cases for attempted murder and negligence following the incident.
A law enforcement source told RIA Novosti that the attacker had mental issues and recently spent two months at a psychiatric facility, only being discharged during the summer.
The motive for the attack currently remains unclear. SHOT Telegram channel claimed that he may have been executing the orders of a curator of a suicide game, which is being distributed through messaging apps.
Mash Telegram channel reported that Roman had assaulted his classmates out of revenge. He was allegedly offended after one of the girls previously smeared him with makeup, while the other kids laughed. The female student in question was reportedly the first to be attacked.
