A shooting in Izhevsk, a city 600 miles east of Moscow, killed13 people and wounded 23 others before the gunman killed himself reports the Associated Press. Russia’s Investigative Committee identified the gunman who opened fire in School No. 88 as Artyom Kazantsev, 34. Kazantsev, a former graduate of the school, was identified wearing a black t-shirt bearing Nazi symbols. The governor of Udmurtia, Alexander Brechalov, said nine out of the 13 victims were children and so were 20 of those wounded. Earlier, Russia’s Investigative Committee said seven adults were among those wounded and seven out of 13 victims were children. The conflicting statements could not be immediately reconciled.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the shooting as “a terrorist act” and said Russian President Vladimir Putin has given all the necessary orders to the relevant authorities. “President Putin deeply mourns deaths of people and children in the school, where a terrorist act took place,” Peskov said. The school, which teaches children between grades one and 11, has been evacuated and the area around it has been cordoned off. According to Russia’s National Guard, Kazantsev used two non-lethal handguns, not registered with authorities, which were adapted to fire real bullets. A criminal probe has been launched.