Father of Russian eighth-grader who opened fire on classmates released from pre-trial detention

The father of a Russian eighth-grader who opened fire on her classmates earlier this month has been released from pre-trial detention, according to the court overseeing his case.

Dmitry Afanaskin was placed under arrest by a court in the Bryansk region on December 10, three days after his 14-year-old daughter Alina carried out a school shooting and took her own life. Both the defense and the prosecution appealed his arrest.

The court announced Friday that Afanaskin’s detention has been replaced with “restrictions on certain actions” while he awaits trial. He faces charges of negligent storage of firearms and incitement to suicide of a minor. According to investigators, Afanaskin systematically belittled, threatened, and abused his daughter.

The Telegram channel Shot has reported that Afanaskin partially pleaded guilty to the weapons storage charges but maintains his innocence on the other charges.