Daniil Mikhailovich Monakhov (Part 1/3)
18-year-old Russian vocational boarding school student who carried out the Bolsheorlovskoye shooting on 12 October 2020 in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.
Note: A long detailed info-post about Daniil because nobody gives a shit about him. Tldr is basically another foiled columbine copycat attack. Because of its sheer length, the post is divided into three parts: Part 1: Covers his personal background - family, education, social life, health history, and other biographical details. Part 2: Delves into the October 12, 2020 shooting - the sequence of events, manhunt, aftermath, motive, and broader reactions. Part 3: (NEW UPDATE) Discusses his firearm license details and process, as well as other miscellaneous information, including his social media profiles and more. Check these out as well: Part 2; Part 3 A PDF file is also available for a more comfortable read.
Happy reading.
Background
Daniil Mikhailovich Monakhov (Russian: Даниил Михайлович Монахов) was born on June 6, 2002, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. At the time of the attack, he was 18 years old. He lived with both parents and a younger sister, seven years his junior. He was described as coming from a well-off family, carrying a modern phone, and wearing decent clothing.
Family and Upbringing
Despite the outward comforts of family life, Daniil reportedly showed little emotional attachment to his parents. His relationship with his father was said to be distant and, at times, tense. A former classmate recalled that Daniil once mentioned having experienced physical abuse. His father also had a history of drinking, and their interactions were otherwise unremarkable, aside from the shared bond over firearms and hunting, which appeared to be one of the few activities that brought them together. According to one account, as a form of emotional release, Daniil’s father reportedly suggested hunting together after observing his son’s fondness for shooter games.
According to a friend, Daniil had taken an interest in hunting even before the 2020 pandemic. He first began accompanying his father on occasional trips, visited a shooting range several times in the summer, and later resumed hunting more regularly in the fall. A resident of Bolsheorlovskoye, the village where his paternal grandmother lived, recalled that the family had official forestry permission to hunt in the area. “The boy only recently got into hunting,” said a local man. “But the father has been hunting for at least ten years – birds, hares. He’d come out after work on Fridays and leave again on Sundays.”
Over time, weekend hunting trips with his father became a semi-regular routine, often coinciding with visits to his grandmother’s village. Despite these recurring visits, Daniil never made any friends in the area and remained largely unknown among the locals. His bond with his mother, though seemingly more conventional, was also described to be emotionally flat and was not particularly close. His family dynamics were further complicated by his own mental and physical health struggles, which his friends noted but felt unsure about how much they influenced his relationships at home. He rarely seemed concerned with anything beyond his immediate interests; his world largely revolved around school and the small group of friends he had there.
Medical History
Daniil had been living with significant health issues since childhood. He was diagnosed early in life with a congenital heart defect, a condition severe enough to require medical attention beyond his hometown, which also ultimately disqualified him from military service. He underwent treatment in Moscow and was subject to periodic monitoring throughout his adolescence. In the months preceding the tragedy, his condition deteriorated. It was reported that a thrombus (blood clot) had formed near his heart, placing him at elevated risk. He was expected to undergo cardiac surgery, but this procedure had never taken place. Due to the severity of his condition, it was believed he had only a few years left to live – approximately 5, according to a recollection of his friend. In addition to his heart condition, Daniil reportedly suffered from bronchial asthma as well. “Lately, even just laughing would cause him to become short of breath,” a friend shared. As his condition declined, the frequency of his visits to Moscow became more recurrent and structured. It required him to travel to the capital roughly once a month, with each stay lasting up to 2 weeks. These repeated hospitalizations became a weary routine for him. An acquaintance recounted that it was overwhelmingly boring for him, once claiming to have gone “berserk” at younger patients who disturbed the ward. To pass the time, he scrolled social media feeds for hours or replayed the video game Injustice multiple times in its entirety, activities he had engaged out of sheer boredom rather than genuine interest. In addition to his cardiac issues, Daniil exhibited signs of neurological or psychosomatic disturbances. He suffered from nervous tics, which could be triggered either spontaneously or through sensory stimuli. One particularly notable trigger involved his ears – any physical contact would cause them to redden and provoke a tic episode. His friends were aware of this sensitivity and avoided touching them. These tics were not attributed to stress or anxiety alone, but appeared to have an involuntary, almost reflexive nature.
School Life and Social Behavior
Daniil attended School No. 101 from 1st through 11th grade, where he later graduated in June of 2020. Former classmates described him as reserved and socially withdrawn, often keeping to himself. Consequently, some peers mocked his aloofness, but there were no reports of overt bullying or abuse. Though generally reserved and distant, he was not entirely isolated: during his earlier school years, he maintained a small circle of male friends, jokingly calling themselves a “gang,” and even had their own logo and matching printed T-shirts. Daniil was said to have dreaded the end of 11th grade, fearing the group would disperse to different universities.
School No. 101 in Nizhny Novgorod
Those close to him described him as smart, educated, and particularly noted his sharp, albeit morbid sense of humor. He would make dark and humorous remarks about politics, military affairs, and death. “It’s hard to consider Daniil a healthy person,” said a friend, referring to his mental state.
Outside this circle, he rarely socialized and remained particularly distant from female classmates, only ever speaking to them to borrow pencils
Warning Signs, Violent Media Fascination
Daniil, likely in 10th grade based on the books
Several classmates recalled alarming signs in his behavior and conversations. He was reportedly open about his fascination with school shootings, often referencing Columbine and the Kerch Polytechnic massacre. He also spoke openly about his desire to purchase firearms and explosives, and was impatient to turn 18 to legally acquire them. One classmate said that he repeatedly expressed intentions to “stage a Columbine” of his own, though at the time, peers dismissed it as another example of his dark humor. No one believed he was capable of such violence because he was “weak and skinny.” Others noted that he repeatedly watched videos related to the massacre as early as 9th grade and began experimenting with homemade explosive devices by the 11th grade. In February 2019, Daniil drew the attention of school authorities after disturbing content was discovered on his VKontakte (a Russian social media platform). He had praised school shootings and expressed admiration for the Columbine massacre. At one point, he set his profile picture to one of the Columbine perpetrators and changed his status to “Judgment day.” He even changed his listed birthdate to April 20, 1999 – the date of the Columbine attack. Daniil reportedly spoke of staging a massacre in the school cafeteria during peak hours. The plan allegedly involved a second student, and both intended to end their lives after carrying it out.
Following the discovery of this content, the school's deputy principal and Daniil’s homeroom teacher reported the matter to local authorities. Letters were sent to the Education Department of the Leninsky District and the Juvenile Commission of the Kanavinsky District. Daniil was placed on the school’s internal watchlist, where he remained until graduation. The administration held conversations with him, and a school social worker initiated preventative interventions. His parents were informed. Despite these actions, many felt the school prioritized damage control over prevention. Teachers and administrators advised students and parents not to spread the information. According to classmate Amina Isaeva, the first warnings came not from the school or police, but from a parent with ties to law enforcement. Students were discouraged from “causing panic” and warned that “the school could get into trouble.” Only about two dozen students and their parents became aware of the threat. On April 20, 2019, Isaeva and five others skipped school without providing their reasons, fearing a possible tragedy – though no incident occurred. The Investigative Committee later confirmed that both the regional Center for Countering Extremism and the FSB were informed of Daniil’s behavior. Security forces were dispatched to the school and conducted a search with detection dogs. Daniil was subjected to a so-called "preventative conversation," during which he dismissed his remarks as jokes. No criminal charges or further disciplinary actions followed, and Daniil was allowed to continue his education.
College Years, Weapon Acquisition
In September 2020, he enrolled at the Nizhny Novgorod Professional Boarding College of Social Services, a vocational institution for students with disabilities. He studied digital information processing. Teachers described him as polite, quiet, and academically compliant, though he maintained average grades and remained socially isolated, forming no close friendships at the school.
Nizhny Novgorod boarding school
Miscellaneous
Additional pictures of Daniil (because these are what we'll only ever have):
He is believed to be wearing a shirt inspired by Klebold’s infamous custom ‘WRATH’ shirt in the image to the right
Among his hobbies, he also enjoyed extreme industrial tourism.
The hypocoristic form of his name is ‘Дэнчик’ (Denchik).
A close friend nicknamed him “Rex,” like a dog, which he accepted without offense and became an inside joke.
He had an extremely low alcohol tolerance. "I remember he even had a birthday, we celebrated it, and that was the first time he drank alcohol. It was tequila – he got drunk right away," a friend told Tsargrad.
A friend said that Daniil had once mentioned that if he were to die, it would be a shot to the head.
He had a deep affection for dogs, especially his “fussy” Chihuahua and a miniature pinscher gifted by his parents, a dog he had long wanted. Neighbors often saw him walking them and described him as unusually gentle with animals.
He was absent from all photo albums at his college, including those taken during Freshman Day, Teacher’s Day, Health Day, and the October campus cleanup.
(There are new stuff added in this section available for reading in the PDF and the third part of this write-up. So, go check it out.)
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Sources:
(No, I am not properly formatting this section)
https://meduza.io/feature/2020/10/15/da-nastanet-sudnyy-den
https://meduza.io/feature/2020/10/13/pod-nizhnim-novgorodom-vsyu-noch-iskali-podozrevaemogo-v-massovom-ubiystve-ego-nashli-mertvym-v-neskolkih-sotnyah-metrah-ot-mesta-prestupleniya
https://dailystorm.ru/chtivo/koshek-i-sobak-ne-trogal-on-celilsya-v-lyudey-reportazh-daily-storm-iz-nizhegorodskoy-oblasti-gde-podrostok-ubil-troih-pensionerov
https://dailystorm.ru/obschestvo/denchik-umnyy-obrazovannyy-chelovek-on-vdohnovilsya-chuvakami-iz-kolumbayna
https://www.rt.com/russia/503279-russia-bus-shooting-nizhny-novgorod/
https://www.nn.ru/text/criminal/2020/10/16/69506003/
https://ngs.ru/text/incidents/2021/10/13/70189367/
https://radiosputnik.ru/20201013/monakhov-1579593848.html
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5669774
https://sledcom.ru/news/item/1507416/?type=news
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/gunman-18-who-killed-3-22836031
https://www.pravda.ru/health/1540443-monajov/
https://mbk-news.appspot.com/suzhet/lyubitel-oruzhiya/
https://www.opennov.ru/articles/proisshestviya/borskiy-strelok-stoyal-na-vnutrishkolnom-uchete-iz-za-interesa-k-rasstrelu-v-kolumbayne.html?q=news/incidents/2020-10-15/37470&page=5
https://reporter-nn.ru/аналитика/shukher_3112/
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