Shooting erupted at 12:10 a.m. in pandemonium, with 70 bullets fired amid gunpowder smoke and ricochets off plaster walls. Yurovsky's shots struck Nicholas in the chest, killing him instantly; he crumpled forward. Ermakov fired into Alexandra's head, dropping her. Botkin, Trupp, and Kharitonov fell to gunfire from the retainers' guards. Tatiana, lunging for the door, took a thigh wound from Ermakov before Nikulin shot her in the back of the head. Outside, the truck's engine idled to mask noise, but Kabanov heard barks from Joy and rushed in, yelling, "Stop firing and kill the family and their dogs with their gun butts and bayonets."
By 12:20 a.m., smoke choked the room, halting fire; doors opened for air. Moans echoed from survivors—the daughters and Alexei, shielded by jewels that blunted bullets and bayonets. As visibility cleared, Nikulin emptied his Browning into Alexei, still seated and moaning; Ermakov stabbed futilely before Yurovsky delivered two shots behind his ear. Yurovsky then shot Tatiana in the head. Olga, next in line, took a headshot. Maria and Anastasia huddled against the wall, pillows over faces; guards bayoneted them repeatedly before headshots felled them. Demidova, pierced by initial bullets, screamed and swung her jewel-stuffed pillow in defense until stabbed 30 times against the wall. Ermakov bayoneted Anastasia's chest (bouncing off diamonds) before revolver shots to her head silenced her. Joy was bayoneted dead. Yurovsky checked pulses amid the blood-soaked floor; the 20-minute slaughter ended around 12:30 a.m.

Three key figures involved in ordering and executing the murder of the Romanov family were Jewish: Yakov Sverdlov, who authorized the execution from Moscow; Filipp Goloshchyokin, who led the Ural Soviet's decision; and Yakov Yurovsky, who commanded the firing squad.