Bio

Timur Maratovich Bekmansurov was born on 8 March 2003 in Glazov. His mother worked as an accountant. His father worked in the police and later served in the military on a contract basis. The father took part in conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan and left the family in 2009.

After the parents divorced, Timur and his mother moved to Perm. He enrolled in a local school there. A former teacher said he was intelligent and helped others when asked. The same teacher also said he liked Hitler and supported his views.

Timur did not develop close relationships with his peers. He was ridiculed in the first grade, and he later said he had trouble forming friendships. He applied to several universities, including the Higher School of Economics and the Perm State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, and he chose to study law at the Perm university.

He said he started using snus at age 13 and used it daily. He also said he began using psychedelic drugs from age 14 and admitted to using ecstasy in May 2021. In his testimony, he reported suicidal and paranoid thoughts, tinnitus, and episodes of uncontrollable aggression, and he said he broke up with his girlfriend because he feared he might harm her.

Murder Story

On 20 September 2021, a mass shooting happened at Perm State University in Perm, Russia. Six people were killed and 47 others were injured. The attacker was identified as 18-year-old Timur Maratovich Bekmansurov. He was arrested after being critically wounded by police.

The shooter was seen on security cameras walking toward the university around 11:30 a.m. He carried a seven-shot 12-gauge Huglu Atrox Tactic pump-action shotgun. He carried 131 rounds of ammunition and fired thirty-seven shots in total.

Before the shooting, the attacker fired shots at passing vehicles and people near the campus entrance. He then entered university buildings and moved between them, including Building 8 and Building 6. Students and teachers used furniture to barricade doors. Some students escaped through classroom windows.

During the incident, a student guard and others tried to stop the attacker. Police officers arrived and engaged him. Officer Konstantin Kalinin encountered the attacker on the first floor of Building 6. Kalinin fired eight rounds and hit the attacker six times. The attacker collapsed and was taken to a hospital.

Six people died in the attack. Their names and ages were Yaroslav Aramelev (19), Margarita Engaus (66), Ksenia Samchenko (18), Ekaterina Shakirova (19), Anna Aigeldina (24), and Alexandra Mokhova (20). Forty-seven people were injured, including 23 wounded by gunfire.

After the shooting, the attacker posted a photo and a message on VK. He wrote that he had thought about it for a long time and that he was "overflowing with hate." He later said the act was not linked to an extremist group and that he acted alone.

The attacker, born 8 March 2003, was a law student. He had posted images with a shotgun, helmet, and ammunition before the attack. In court he said he hated people and that he wanted to be killed when arrested. He also admitted drug use and said he had suicidal and paranoid thoughts.

A psychiatric examination diagnosed him with schizoid personality disorder, but he was declared sane at the time of the crime. In November 2022, the state prosecution asked for life imprisonment. On 28 December 2022, he received a life sentence.

He appealed the sentence. On 7 May 2024, the Supreme Court heard the appeal and upheld the verdict. Court documents released in 2025 showed he had studied the behavior of other mass murderers and their mistakes.

After the attack, a makeshift memorial grew at the university fence with carnations, candles, and photos. A cross and a chapel were later opened on the university grounds in 2023 and 2024, which caused some controversy. As of 2025, he was serving a three-year prison term in Chelyabinsk Oblast before probable transfer to a penal colony for life prisoners.