Shootings at Schools and Universities: The Deadliest Tragedies in Recent Years

Many believe it all started with Columbine, but that tragedy has long since ceased to be the deadliest by number of victims.

A shooting in the Russian city of Perm, which left six people dead and several dozen injured, became another case of mass killing at educational institutions. 

In social media posts, the Perm shooter described in detail how he had been planning his attack since the tenth grade, how he bought a rifle and successfully passed all the required checks, including an examination by a psychologist. 

Before carrying out the attack, a first-year student at Perm State University wrote: “I am so tired. Rage overwhelms me, I want to destroy everything in my path, to leave as much pain in this world as possible. Those I cannot kill will remember this day forever. I have endured everyone around me all these years only for this moment. I do not respect myself, just as I do not respect all of you. How good it is that it will all end soon. I will be able to feel alive, if only for these 10 minutes.” 

The 18-year-old then came to the university with a rifle and a helmet and shot six people — students jumped from windows and tried to build barricades in the classrooms. 

Over the past 20 years, mass attacks on schools have become a common phenomenon in various countries. They were carried out by current or former students. The first tragedies occurred in the United States, but later spread around the world.

The previous shooting also took place in Russia — on May 11, 2021, in Kazan, the capital of the republic of Tatarstan, a student of a local school killed nine people and wounded 32. Here we recall the most notorious mass killings at schools. 

Columbine

The shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado was the first high-profile attack and for a long time was the deadliest tragedy at an educational institution. On April 20, 1999, two high school students armed with firearms and explosives killed 12 students and a teacher at their school and wounded 23 people. 

They then committed suicide. After this tragedy, a series of similar attacks took place in the US. In 2019, local authorities proposed demolishing the school building, as Columbine had become a kind of role model for imitation around the world. 

The tragedy sparked heated debate over the need to tighten control over the ownership and circulation of firearms. The incident led to stricter security systems at educational institutions and greater control over children’s access to the internet and video games. 

Sandy Hook

One of the most notorious attacks, resembling Columbine, was the assault on the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown on December 14, 2012. The 20-year-old Adam Lanza first killed his own mother, then attacked the school, where he killed 20 children and six staff members. 

All the children killed were between six and seven years old. After the shooting, Lanza committed suicide. In 2013, the Connecticut state prosecutor published an investigation report. It was established that Lanza had planned his actions in advance and alone, but not enough evidence was found to explain why he committed the crime. 

Finnish School

On September 23, 2008, Matti Juhani Saari, a college student from the city of Kauhajoki, attacked an educational institution. He wore a ski mask and had a pistol and Molotov cocktails with him. More than 200 people were in the Vocational School at the time of the attack. 

Saari fired more than 150 shots, killing 11 people (including himself) and wounding three. All the victims were his fellow students, some of whom he knew personally. 

Azerbaijan

On April 30, 2009, the son of a village teacher, Farda Gadirov, attacked the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. He opened fire with a Makarov pistol, killing 12 people and wounding 13 others. Farda shot himself when police surrounded him. 

Kerch

The shooting in Kerch took place after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. On October 17, 2018, 18-year-old Kerch Polytechnic College student Vladislav Roslyakov detonated an explosive device, after which he opened fire. 

The attack killed 21 people (15 students, five college employees, and the perpetrator himself), and more than 50 were injured, some of them seriously. Roslyakov himself took his own life after the attack. After the incident, another explosive device was found and defused in the school building. 

Ukraine

There have been no large-scale attacks at educational institutions in Ukraine. However, recently a 19-year-old girl with a crossbow came to one of the schools in Poltava and wounded two teachers. 

Media reports say she attended this school only until fifth grade, and is now a university student studying psychology. According to reports, the girl with “green hair in the style of anime characters” entered the second floor of the school and shot a teacher in the back through the open doors of a classroom. 

The school’s deputy director tried to stop her, but the girl also shot at her. A student then snatched the crossbow from her hands. The attacker’s motives are unknown. Some local media reported possible psychological problems and that an examination had been ordered. 

She is suspected of attempted intentional homicide. Attempted intentional homicide carries a penalty of 10 to 15 years in prison.