Tass: Russian soldier guns down eight servicemen at military garrison in eastern Siberia

A soldier has killed eight military personnel, including two officers and wounded two more critically in a shooting spree at a military unit in Russia, TASS reported.

The gunman was serviceman from the repair and maintenance base in the Chita Region including two officers, and wounded two others, the Defense Ministry of Russia reported on Friday. The gunman is in custody.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on October 25 the soldier began shooting at his colleagues during a watch shift in a unit located in the  at the high-security base in the Trans-Baikal region of Siberia according to Russian Defense officials.

“At 6:20 p.m. local time on October 25, a serviceman from the repair and maintenance base stationed on the territory of the Trans-Baikal Region opened fire on his fellow servicemen from his service firearm during a changing of the guard. As a result, eight servicemen were killed on the spot while two others received wounds of various severity. Investigative measures are underway to identify the causes of the incident,” Tass quoted the Ministry.

According to the ministry, the soldier may have been suffering from a nervous breakdown.

A ministry commission led by Deputy Defense Minister Andrei Kartapolov has left Moscow for the unit’s location, Read more at TASS