At least four people have been reported killed in a shooting incident in the village of Kratovo, southeast of Moscow, where a man barricaded himself in his house and opened fire on by-passers, seemingly at random.
At least five men and women were reportedly shot at by the gunman during his rampage according to Russian media which says at least four people died from their injuries.
“According to preliminary reports, in the area of Kratovo a man born in 1967, from the territory of his household, started shooting at passers-by with a hunting rifle,” the local department of the Interior Ministry told RT in an earlier statement. “As a result of gunfire several people were injured to varying degrees and were hospitalized.”
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The house was cordoned off and special forces from the Russian National Guard were deployed to the scene. The gunman also fired at them and threw two grenades, a security source told RIA Novosti.
“On the territory of the house from which the shots were fired, two more dead bodies were found. This brings the total number of dead to four,” a police source told TASS.
There were also a number of other people living in the house and it’s yet unclear what has happened to them.
One of the victims, a woman, died in hospital, while her husband is said to be in a critical condition, according to local Interior Ministry director Elena Fokina. A murder investigation is now underway.
The survivors are being treated at Zhukovsky city hospital.
Neighbors told TASS that the suspect served in the conflict in Chechnya, lives with his mother and may be suffering from a mental condition.
