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Bailiff Killed, Witness Injured in Siberian Courthouse Shooting

The alleged shooter had been named a victim in a criminal property destruction case. Screenshot Investigative Committee

An unnamed shooter has opened fire inside a courthouse in the Siberian mining city of Novokuznetsk, killing a bailiff and injuring a witness, authorities said Thursday.

The 45-year-old shooter armed with a rifle critically wounded a 45-year-old bailiff and a 43-year-old female witness inside a Novokuznetsk magistrates’ court, regional investigators said in a statement. The bailiff later died from his injuries in the hospital.

The unnamed suspect was detained and charged with murder, the Kemerovo region’s Investigative Committee said.

Doctors operated on the woman for two and a half hours, medics told the RBC news website. She remains in “serious but stable” condition and is likely to recover, they were quoted as saying.

The alleged shooter had been named a victim in a criminal case, Interfax cited an unnamed source as saying. 

That case involved alleged destruction of property, the local city-n.ru news website reported, citing an unnamed source.

“The man and the woman were given a chance to reconcile their differences in a separate room,” the news site reported.

“They were unable to come to terms. The man went outside, got his weapon and went back to court,” it added.

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