MOSCOW, RUSSIA – A tragic shooting at a concert hall in Moscow, Russia, on Friday night claimed the lives of 40 people and left 100 others wounded, as per various reports. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) released a statement confirming the death and injury count from the horrific incident at Crocus City Hall near Moscow. The statement referred to the event as a “terrorist attack.”
Additionally, it was reported that among the victims were two children. One of the boys was reportedly shot and is severely injured, while the second boy is in stable condition after being struck with a rifle buttstock.
Witnesses conveyed that there was an explosion in addition to the shooting. One of the eyewitnesses reported hearing something resembling loud pops which eventually escalated into heavy gunfire.
The concert was set to commence at 8 p.m. local time and had sold-out tickets. The venue had the capacity to hold thousands of attendees. As per witness accounts reported by RIA Novosti, assailants barged into the concert hall, initiating point-blank shootings and lobbing smoke bombs.
In response to the incident, Russian special services have launched search operations, and Sergey Sobyanin, Moscow’s mayor, ordered a citywide postponement of all large-scale events throughout the weekend.