Police detained a 32-year-old Russian man Saturday night after he allegedly shot and killed five of his neighbors with a hunting rifle in an apartment block.
The incident happened around 10 p.m. in the village of Yelatma, some 320 kilometers east of Moscow in the Ryazan region, Russian media has reported.
Reports say the alleged shooter and victims — four men and one woman — became embroiled in an argument over noise outside the suspect's apartment in a three-story residential block. Investigators told the state-run TASS news agency the assailant made a comment to the group, which escalated into a verbal conflict, before the man took his hunting rifle, exited his apartment and shot at the group. The five victims died at the scene.
Police said the suspect attempted to escape, but was detained, and a legally-registered hunting rifle was found in his apartment. Investigators have launched a case of murdering two or more people, a charge which carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment under Russian law, the BBC reported.
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