A 10th-grade student accused of shooting dead two people at a school in Moscow in February could avoid prosecution after being declared insane, a news report said Tuesday.
Psychiatrists conducted a four-week-long assessment of suspected shooter Sergei Gordeyev starting in mid-March and diagnosed him as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and requiring urgent medical treatment, an unidentified police official told Izvestia.
It became clear during the preliminary stage of the evaluation that Gordeyev's behavior was "anomalous" and pointed toward mental disorder and hyperactivity.
Gordeyev "didn't lie down, didn't sleep, was constantly in motion and at odds with the other patients," the official said.
He has been transferred from the Serbsky psychiatric hospital to Moscow's Butyrka prison, which has a psychiatric ward.
Gordeyev's lawyer declined to comment on the report, because he has yet to be notified about the conclusions of the psychological assessment.
If a court rules that Gordeyev must undergo mandatory treatment in a closed institution, he could be kept there for decades while a special commission assesses his psychological condition yearly, the report said. If psychiatrists later decide that he no longer represents a threat to society, he could be released.
On Feb. 3, Gordeyev entered School No. 263 in the Otradnoye district in Moscow's northeast armed with two rifles, at least one of which belonged to his father, and took about 20 children hostage.
In the course of the attack, he shot dead a teacher and a police officer and wounded a second police officer. His father later arrived at the school and convinced his son to give up his weapons.
Read more:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
