A Columbiner from Sterlitamak: why the guardianship service of Bashkiria did not stop the aggressive teenager
The second largest city in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, did not learn the bitter lessons of Perm and Buryatia
Another attack at a school took place in Russia on April 18, this time in the city of Sterlitamak. A 17-year-old teenager from a remedial class of the secondary school No. 1, as he had promised publicly, attacked with a knife a teacher and schoolmates, made a fire and tried to commit suicide. Four people have been hospitalized: students, the teacher and the attacker himself. The investigative committee has initiated two criminal cases, one — against officials who ignored the complaints of aggressive behaviour of the boy. Read more in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
Columbine has reached Sterlitamak
In the morning on April 18, Artyom T., a student from Sterlitamak, came to school with a knife and gasoline. In the classroom of Information Technologies, he attacked two schoolmates and a young teacher, inflicting stab wounds. One of the girls was seriously injured: she jumped out of the window, escaping from the attacker. After that, the boy poured gasoline around the class, set fire and tried to kill himself. Now he is being under medical supervision.
A source of Realnoe Vremya from the hospital where the victims were hospitalized informed that both pupils and the teacher were in a stable condition. The 27-year-old teacher, Yekaterina P., was hospitalized with a stab wound in the chest, the condition is stable. Ninth-grader Vasilya S. was injured in the lumbar spine, a closed fracture of the tibia and incised wounds of the forearm, the condition is stable. Her classmate, Yulia F., was wounded in the breast on the right, she is in a serious condition.
In social networks they also reported that Artyom also set fire to the teacher after attacking with a knife. But they denied this information in the school reception by phone.
One of the students of the school told our publication on condition of anonymity:
''I have seen this guy in the corridor, but I was not acquainted with him. I was not paying attention to his peculiarities in behaviour because he was in the class of mental retardation. I know the teacher, but I will not tell anything, I do not want to spread rumours. Everything happened not exactly as they report. The journalists describe everything in a much rougher way,'' said the schoolgirl.
''I thought someone would stop me''
Having learnt about the incident, the head of Bashkiria, Rustem Khamitov, immediately went to the Sterlitamak school, where he held an operational meeting on the spot. He instructed to strengthen the admission regime in all schools of the republic as soon as possible. ''This case once again encourages us to ensure that security systems in all schools of the republic are tested. We will carry out this work today or tomorrow,'' the press-service of the president of Tatarstan quoted his words. He also ordered to repair the class. Khamitov stressed that the work should begin already that day.
The head of the republic praised the actions of teachers and emergency services: ''The staff of the school in this situation acted professionally, competently from the point of view of the evacuation of children.'' In addition, Khamitov visited the victims in the hospital.
Artem T. studies in a remedial class of an ordinary secondary school. As told by his friends, the guy had long been preparing an attack, even warned about it on his page on Vkontakte. In particular, shortly before the attack, he posted a video with images of American assassins who shot pupils of the Columbine school in 1999. Now the account is closed, and friends share screenshots of correspondence. In it, Artyom says that ''he is preparing for destruction of people''. To the question: ''When?'' he replies: ''Sometime in the spring.'' And then he explains: ''The classmates are autistic.'' According to some reports, the teenager was teased at school, he complained of bullying. At the end of the conversation, the teenager as if even disappointedly says: ''I thought someone would stop me over all these time.'' But, as it is evident, this did not happen.
Criminal cases
The investigative committee has initiated two criminal cases: one of the attempted murder of two or more persons — against the schoolboy, the other — on the fact of negligence committed by officials of crime prevention authorities of minors. ''It is established that previously there had been statements of cases for violent behaviour of the 17-year-old teenager,'' the department reports.
Necessary measures of investigation are carried out within criminal cases. The investigators of the regional investigative committee continue the examination of the scene of the incident at the school. In the presence of parents and teachers they are interrogating the school students who became eyewitnesses of the attack.
Realnoe Vremya interviewed teachers-defectologists and psychologists about why such incidents get repeating in Russian schools and who is to blame in this situation. The opinions of experts converge in one: the responsibility for the incident lies with the school, the guardianship and prevention of juvenile crimes agency, which has not taken any measures after repeated applications.
Bashkortostan