Moscow: A gunman opened fire in a Moscow government services centre and killed two people Tuesday. It happened reportedly after the man being told to put on a face mask, authorities and Russia media said. Four other people were wounded in the shooting.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Twitter that a suspect was detained. Sobyanin didn’t offer any details about the assailant or his possible motive. The mayor only said that the incident took place in the southeast of the Russian capital. “Doctors are doing all they can to help those wounded,” Sobyanin said.
The suspect is a 45-year-old Moscow resident, according to Russian Interior Ministry spokesperson Irina Volk. A 10-year-old girl was among the people wounded, Volk informed. Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova said four people have been wounded, and three of them are in grave condition. So the toll may go up.
Russian news agency ‘Tass’ reported, citing an unidentified law enforcement source, that the man drew out a gun and started firing shots after an argument with a security guard who asked him to put on a face mask.
Masks are mandatory in indoor public places like the municipal services centre, where residents apply for passports, obtain real estate documents and get help with other bureaucratic tasks.
Russia’s ‘Interfax’ news agency reported, also citing an unnamed source that a Glock handgun was found at the site of the shooting. Ownership of handguns and other short-barreled weapons is severely restricted in Russia. Only professional sports shooters are allowed to own them, and the weapons must be stored at shooting clubs.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a criminal probe into the fatal shooting on charges of murder and illegal arms trafficking.