People, especially students in Perm are in a state of shock and mourning the event of the gun shooting. Six people lost their lives and 24 got injured at the local university during an episode of terrorist shooting. The attacker was an 18-year-old first-year student. His name was Timur Bekmansurov and the victims were mostly fellow students. During the Perm University attack, the students were aware of how to protect themselves. They hid under the desks and stayed away from the windows, laying on the floor.
A few months ago there was a deadly shooting at a school in Kazan, Russia. Therefore, the students had that on the mind and reacted smartly. After the current Perm university attack, the city is quiet and silent. People are trying to comfort each other. Authorities evacuated the university but around 300 people gathered around the main gate for a memorial. Local people made a makeshift memorial using around a dozen desks right outside the main gate. Mostly the students are visiting, bringing flowers, candles and even toys. On a normal day, they would be coming to attend classes.
Victims of the Perm University Attack
- Ksenia Samchenko – 18
- Yekaterina Shakirova – 19
- Yaroslav Aramelev – 19
- Alexandra Mokhova – 20
- Anna Aigeldina – 26
- Margarita Engaus – 66
Three of the victims were teenagers. Students of the Perm University are in disbelief and describing the incident as ‘city is crushed by the tragedy.’ They are not comfortable talking as yet and are choosing to grieve in private. As per the eyewitnesses of the attack, the gunman started shooting outside on the campus first and then entered one of the buildings. According to reports, there were approximately 3000 people on the premises at that time including the students and teachers.
Students and teachers heard screaming and saw people running and jumping out of the window. Teachers also started getting messages and social media posts. All of that made them realize what is happening. A student told the media that his teachers had to tie up the door handles because there was no lock. Right after she tied, the attacker tried to get inside. “There was no key and the door was open. She tied the handles with a piece of cable. He tried to force the door. When it wouldn’t open, he shot at the door and then once at the wall and then kept walking along the corridor.”
Attacker’s details
The 18-year-old attacker was a law student and was eventually shot and wounded. According to the police, the shotgun he used was legal. He bought it in May and had a valid permit till 2026. The Local MP Alexander Khinshtein said that it was before the authorities tightened up the rules on weapons permits after the school shootings.
His acquaintances described him to be consumed by hatred of others. “I’ve thought about this for a long time, it’s been years and I realised the time had come to do what I dreamt of,” he posted on social media on one of his accounts which is now taken down by the authorities.
The students living in the University hostel are now under a police lockdown. They are not allowed to leave the premises until the investigation is completed.
People across the city are trying to help as much as they can. Hundreds of people reached the spot of blood donation to help the injured people. These are mostly random people who saw the appeal getting viral on social media.
