Andrey Emelyannikov (Андрей Емельянников (Also referenced as Andrei or Yemelyannikov) was born on February 7th, 1999 in Moscow, Russia. His parents, Dmitry Emelyannikov and Anna Emelyannikova, seperated when he was one year old. He had an older brother named Artem Emelyannikov. As a child, he was responsible and was not shown to be agressive. Andrey was raised by his mother, but his father was still in his life. He would later move in with Artem, but would still recieve visits from his parents. Artem is technically his half brother, as Anna was married before. He grew up normally and did not display any concerning behavior. A quote from Anna after the attack: “He didn’t just attack \[danilov\] out of nowhere, did he? He never told me about his problems at college. I called my eldest son, and he said andrey, as usual, left for school in the morning, in good spirits. I hope the police can shed some light on this, because i dont understand anything myself.” A quote from Dmitry: "He grew up as a normal boy. Good-natured by nature. As a teenager, like many teenagers, he was into heavy music. We met from time to time, and i was a presence in his life." Upon being asked if Andrey was registered with a psychiatrist, his father states, "Anya would have told me if Andrei had been registered. He grew up a normal boy.” "After ninth grade, he entered this college. We decided so at a family meeting. He's now in his third year. I don't understand what could have upset him."
Andrey was homeschooled after the fourth grade, but would still be around school. He would say hello to people and would not talk about himself, but was very kind. A friend called "Irina" by a news source claimed that he was well groomed, wore nice clothes, and came from a good family. She says he was quiet, never got into fights, and he rarely raised his voice. She also mentions that he carried a knife on him, but would never threaten anyone with it. She mentions that boys would often "catch him" and he started "getting careful". He was said to be trustworthy. A girl he knew online nicknamed "Margarita" says "If he promised something, he always did it.". She also says he had a good sense of humor and he seemed completely normal. Andrey was often seen with two boys, Daniil and Alexander, who mention that during his first year, he did not speak to anyone. They mention how Danilov yelled at him: “The teacher was always coming down on him in front of everyone, and the guy couldn’t say anything. He was scared. It seems he overcame that fear.”. Andrey was said to have been terrified of Sergei Danilov, the health and life safety teacher who he would later kill at his school, The University of Continuing Education West Campus. He often watched video game playthroughs in class instead of doing his work. He told a friend that he was tired of studying, which may have been a slip of the tongue since he did not speak of his feelings. “He kept everything bottled up, and never unloaded his problems onto anyone else.”. Andrey had a crush on a girl for 5 years, but would not speak to her. He was introverted, described as quiet and he did not cause conflict, but is also described as a gentleman who said hello to others often.
Andrey had apparently posted about his teacher, threatening him on forums "sooner or later", but it was common on the site, so nothing came of it. He often used the hashtag "011117" under his messages which stood for November 1st, 2017, the day of the murder. I am pretty sure he also wrote this as the caption to his VK post of the murder images. He was said to be a good translator, helping out others who required help with translations. He was working on translating a comic called "Blood Stain" from English into Russian. He took archery lessons and seemed to enjoy doing it. He worked for a little bit as a courier who delivered tea to restaurants. He bought a scooter and a phone using the money he made from working. A quote about Andrey by a girl he knew: "I'd known Andrey for a little over six years. We met at a sports club. He was always smart, well-read, reserved, and kind. And over the years, he'd become very close to me. I'd never noticed any such tendencies in him. He was a good man. A truly good man." "He didn't drink or smoke. We were celebrating my birthday once, and my dad poured him champagne, and then he said he didn't drink and had no intention of drinking.” People called him responsible and “a bright mind”. He was "well-read" and seemingly very smart as he was fluent in english and russian. Male friends tend to describe him more normally, even a little differently like how he would make small threats or comments, while female friends say that he was very sweet, meaning he may have switched up his personality depending on who was around.
A few songs he mentioned on his VKontakte (VK) are:
Twilight Innocence- Novembers Doom
Leaving This- Novembers Doom
The Novella Reservoir- Novembers Doom
Into Night’s Requiem Infernal- Novembers Doom
Harvest Scythe- Novembers Doom
The Dead Leaf Echo- Novembers Doom
Empathy’s Greed- Novembers Doom.
He was interested in heavy music. He put an unnamed Novembers Doom song behind his murder photos when he posted them on VK. Novembers Doom issued a statement after:
"It has been brought to our attention that a piece of our music was used in conjunction with the images posted from the horrible event that took place in Russia involving murder and then suicide by the individual himself. All of us in Novembers Doom feel absolutely terrible for everyone involved. To the families and friends of all involved, our utmost and sincere apologies for the pain you are going through and we as a collective hope you find the strength to get through this unfortunate event.
We DO NOT and would NEVER condone this sort of use for our art and our music. We create the style of music we do, to reach people on an emotional level, and the thought of it being used for something like this sickens us beyond words. Association of this sort is something a band would never ask for.
If you’re an individual struggling with your own thoughts, please seek the help you need before turning to this sort of extreme and senseless violence.
On his VK, he also posted these lyrics:
"Every time I walk down the street
I want to kill half the people I meet
like sheep to the slaughter
They don't seem to understand
They dirty the world with their filthy hands
And take what's given to them."
He may have been interested in My Little Pony, as he would have a profile picture of a My Little Pony character. He was also into video games. He was a fan of Silent Hill and Wolfenstien."His videos feature numerous gameplay clips of "Battlefield" and "GTA,"....". He also enjoyed sci-fi and novels. A girl he knew says, "We often discussed the reality or unreality of science fiction theories from books and films.". He attempted to get into philosophy, but found that it was common sense to him. "Andrei's college friends add that he was also interested in philosophy. But he later abandoned the works of the sages, claiming that their explanations and conclusions were too simplistic." He was said to often go on the computer, and he would converse with others online. He was also said to have not been the video game fanatic he appears to be in the media. He often wore bandanas and usually had longer then average hair. In college, he was studying radio engineering.
A 1.5 page text document was discovered on his computer, addressed to Artem, his brother. His hard drive, computer, second phone, and flash drive were taken by law enforcement. Saved files included online stores to buy weapons, and which he bought the Varan knife used in the murder. Artem has read the note and claims only a mentally ill man could write it, and that it did not sound like Andrey. It describes a dislike for the adult world, routine, 5/2 work weeks, and social order, basicallg life in general. "I'm off. I'm leaving the monitor and... (followed by a list of game accounts) to you. You can figure out the computer yourself. People are... (assholes), and humanity can't live in peace with itself.”
"According to 25-year-old Artem, who read the 1.5-page note, he couldn't believe it was written by his younger brother. He believed such a text could only have been written by someone with a serious mental disorder who had carefully concealed their illness for a long time.It's worth noting that the brothers lived separately from their parents, who divorced when Andrei was just one year old. The boy remained with his mother. Recently, the woman visited her sons only on weekends. She saw Andrei on Sunday, October 29th. There were no alarming signs in his behavior. According to Artem, on October 31st, the day before the tragedy, Andrey also behaved calmly. The brothers had dinner together, after which the younger one sat down to play computer games"
Around 1 pm on November 1st, 2017, Emelyannikov would enter Danilov's classroom. Supposedly while Danilov was facing away, Emelyannikov would slit his throat with a knife. He proceeded to stab Danilov multiple times before taking a selfie with his body. In the photo, Andrey smiles for it with a toothpick in his mouth. He proceeded to take multiple photos of the corpse and weapon. Andrey then went and took a photo with a circular saw near his shoulder. He posted the photos online on his VK account. He then proceeded to cut his own throat with the saw.
Andrey's backpack was seized by police, and inside was found a hatchet, a knife in a case, and several packages of Analgin and Citramon tablets. These tablets were in the family medical kit at home, used for headaches. It is said he likely carried these in his backpack often. It is said that Andrey brought his own circular saw, since the suicide was committed in the same room as the murder. Both parties' phones were taken and so was the circular saw that Andrey had used on himself. He was found dead under a desk by the teacher that discovered the scene, who taught special education. Many students saw the scene, but thought it was fake or mannequins.
Andrey and Danilov were not on good terms. Sergei Danilov was a war veteran who taught health and life safety classes at the college. He was a highly respected staff member and students admired him. Sergei was said to be a strict teacher, but he was very well liked by his students for that reason. "Sergei Danilov graduated from the Military Automobile Institute in 1996 with a degree in engineering. He worked at the college for six years, RIA Novosti reports ." "The deceased was a highly regarded teacher with the highest qualifications. He had attended continuing education courses. For example, in 2016, Danilov attended classes at the private cultural institution "Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center" as part of the course "Interactive Methods for Developing Students' Civic Identity 'I Am a Russian.'""
"“He was a good man who never failed you and was always there for you,” a student named Vladislav told Meduza. “He gave you a chance to make up work, correct your mistakes, and never cursed, well unless the class wouldn’t settle down. But apparently Emelyannikov disagreed with all that."
Before the incident, he skipped school for weeks straight and did not tell anyone. Danilov threatened him with expulsion.The night before the incident, He ate dinner with Artem. They spoke to eachother as normal and Artem went to bed, while Andrey went on the computer. Most likely, he was typing up his suicide note.
Weapons: “During the crime scene investigation, police seized a 31.5 cm long Varan camping knife, which Yemelyannikov used to commit the murder. A Ryobi circular saw with a 165 x 1.6 x 16 mm blade was also found in the college office, Moskovsky Komsomolets reports .Additionally, a hatchet and another similar knife in a sheath were found in the student who committed suicide. A lens box, two packages of analgin, and one package of citromon were also found in Yemelyannikov's belongings. All of these medications are commonly used for headaches, MK reports.”
""The only thing that made Andrei stand out from the others was that he was more intellectually developed, always slightly ahead of the others. True, he did skip classes sometimes," one of the teachers recounted."
" I can't believe someone like him could do this. Unfortunately, we only know each other online, so I can't say anything about it," " - A girl online.
One teacher told local media: "Intellectually, [Mr Emeliannikov] was always a little ahead of the others."
"Several students told Meduza that college administrators brought everyone in the school together on the evening of November 1 for a conversation with psychologists. “We discussed [the incident] with them, and our opinions, our feelings, and our ideas. After classes ended, we sat there talking for almost two hours,”"
"“Andrey often played computer games, but he wasn’t the fanatic that everyone is now making him out to be,” one of Emelyannikov’s friends told Meduza. The friend says he was a Sports Candidate Master in archery, and he loved to listen to music and ready science fiction."
"A friend of Emelyannikov’s brother told Meduza that Emelyannikov was a “decent, calm person.” “He loved science fiction, but it wasn’t the violence that attracted him — he didn’t really like violence,” he says."
