4 Feb 2014

Two die in school shooting in Moscow

8:18 am on 4 February 2014

A teacher and a police officer have been killed during a school shooting in Moscow.

Pupils leaving school number 263, escorted by police.

Pupils leaving school number 263, escorted by police. Photo: AFP

Police said a student entered a classroom at a high school in the Russian capital armed with a rifle and held 20 students and a teacher hostage.

The teacher and a police officer were shot dead during the incident.

The students escaped unharmed and the attacker has been detained.

The shooting sent dozens of students scurrying out the school while a police helicopter landed in a snow-covered field outside.

The gunman was a pupil at School No 263 on the northern outskirts of Moscow. He was armed with two rifles legally owned by his father.

The 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi begin on 7 February.