Lyovin had repeatedly been in trouble with law enforcement in the past, and at the time of the shooting had recently been released from prison.

Armed with a handmade pistol featuring an improvised suppressor that had been provided to him, Alexander went to Kuznetsova's apartment at and rang the doorbell.

As he attempted to flee, Lyovin suddenly encountered 30-year-old Valida Halilova (Валида Халилова) who saw his weapon, and fatally shot her as she ran away.

Lyovin then ran downstairs and saw 43-year-old Sergey Glashko (Сергей Глашко) and shot him dead while still attempting to escape.

[2] Panic spread across the small city of Balashikha, and local police directed all available resources towards investigating the shooting.