A doctor’s husband shot dead five people for “making too much noise” while he was on coronavirus self-isolation in Russia, say police.
A local official linked the mass killing to tension caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.
Anton Franchikov, 31, took a hunting rifle onto his balcony and open fired on the group below, it is claimed.
He allegedly shot three dead on the street, then ran downstairs in his block of flats to shoot two others dead as they sought to hide in an apartment, according to police.
Franchikov, a medic who “on paternity leave”, was detained in Yelatma, a settlement in Ryazan region with population of 3,100.
The dead were named as married couple Yevgeny and Kristina Tabunov, aged 24 and 22, as well as Ilya Kondrakov, 26, Viktor Kapitanov, 24 and Maksim Ukhov, 31.
"He tried to escape, but he didn't make it, and was stopped by the police," said a law enforcement spokesman.
The suspect, described as a medic at a neuropsychiatric facility, was testifying to police on the incident, said police.
He had objected to noise on the street and blamed the group for this.
A mass murder probe was opened.
A video showed forensic checks at the crime scene.
Local administration head Grigory Danilov told RT: “This was a conflict between neighbours which developed into a shooting.
“They exchanged words and he ended up picking up a rifle.
“The second week of quarantine plays badly on people's psychology.
“People miss having communication.”
The official added: “I cannot say that he is a stupid or a sick man.
“I know that he is a married man, he has children.
“They are just an ordinary young family.”
His wife, a GP based at a local hospital, was being interrogated over the incident by the Russian Investigation Committee.
Under Russia’s self-isolation rules, people are supposed to remain at home, and are official on an enforced holiday ordered by President Vladimir Putin.
Investigators were checking claims that the suspect had a history of domestic violence and posting extreme material on social media.
