A Russian soldier killed three officers Monday at a military base near Voronezh, Russia, according to reports.
An investigative committee for the area said that the soldier first killed an officer with an axe in order to obtain the officer’s weapon, which he then used to shoot two more officers, according to CNN. The attacker has been detained but a motive for the attack is not yet known. (RELATED: Russian Time Capsule Washes Up Thousands Of Miles Away, Found By Surfers)
The assailant has been identified as Private Anton Makarov, according to Russian state media reporting. Makarov initially fled the scene and was later apprehended nearly 50 kilometers away from the base in the village of Zemlyansk, Semiluksky district, reports RIA. (RELATED: German Police Raid Homes Of Men With Ties To Vienna Gunman Who Tried To Join ISIS)
A Russian soldier killed an officer with an ax and then shot two more officers at a military base near Voronezh, the country’s investigative committee says https://t.co/aiFBIayIxb
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) November 9, 2020
There was no prior knowledge of tension or plans of an attack according to people who had been around Makarov, reports RIA. Makarov’s friends and old classmates described him as “quiet… kind in general,” and respectful of elders, according to the Russian media. He was taken into custody peacefully after being disarmed by police.