A gunman has shot and killed three people, before turning the weapon on himself, while going on a murderous rampage throughout the streets of Krymsk in Russia.
The man, who has been identified as Vladimir Zhirov, 66, opened fire in the shopping district of the city, which is situated in the south of Russia, only 90 miles (144km) from Crimea.
Zhirov was seen wielding a VPO-209 hunting rifle, which he used to open fire while walking down the streets of Krymsk. Footage has been uploaded to social media of Zhirov shooting the gun as he walked past parked cars, before he fired close range at a person who was laid on the ground.
In the clips, he could be seen to be masked by a green piece of material, which also covered the rifle.
It has been reported that he was a registered user for the gun, and that he went on the shooting spree after getting into an argument with his ex-wife.
The row was triggered by a court battle that Zhirov lost, which was reportedly over a flat and also involved his son. In retaliation, he opened fire in public.
The man laid on the ground who Zhirov shot at close range was a 69-year-old shopping center security guard, named Mikhail Tunguliadi. He had apparently saved the life of Zhirov’s ex wife.
Tunhuliadi was shot in the leg, before he died from the close range shot to his head. Zhirov's ex-wife managed to escape.
Another video appeared to show Zhirov continuing to fire the gun throughout the shopping district after killing Tunguliadi, before he entered a grey car and left the scene.
Apparently, he was driving towards the location of his ex-wife's house. It was while he was on his journey there, that he took his own life. His ex-wife was unharmed in the shooting.
The Investigative Committee for Krasnodar region stated that Zhirov had killed two other people too. The victims were both male, aged 53 and 39, and died on the spot.
“According to preliminary information, the gunman shot three people,” the local official said, adding that Zhirov also died.
State prosecutors were sent to the scene of the shooting to open an investigation.
The city of Krymsk is situated in a region of Russia that borders Ukraine. The Krasnodar region is near the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014.
