Six People Killed by Gunman at Russian Hunting Shop; 14-Year-Old among the Dead

Six people have been shot dead by a gunman at a hunting shop in Belgorod, southwest Russia. The assailant, who was armed with a hunting rifle, began a shooting spree in broad daylight after he robbed the shop, shot the attendant and then, opened fire to passers-by outside in the main street, local officials said.

According to regional police spokesman, Yevgeny Kamalov, the passers-by that were murdered in cold blood included a 14-year-old girl, a 16-year-old girl, three salesmen and two yet-to-be-identified passers-by. Five of them died on the spot, while the last one was confirmed dead in the hospital with fatal gunshot wounds.

Police has confirmed that their main suspect is a brown-haired man with a criminal record in his thirties, who was released from prison in 2012. After the crime was committed, he fled the scene in a BMW with another assailant, which they abandoned later.

In a statement, Belgorod city council has said that psychologists are working with relatives of those killed. Their families of the dead and injured will also receive financial compensation.

While the manhunt for the suspect is ongoing, a group of investigators from the Russian capital have been dispatched to the city to help with the investigation. Sergei Bozhenov, Belgorod Mayor, called for an emergency meeting to address the residents on the shooting. He declared two days of mourning, starting from Tuesday.

Only six months earlier, a Moscow lawyer shot dead six people in the Russian capital in a possible violent reponse to a break-up with his fiancée.