In a tragic incident in Prague, the police reported that a gunman responsible for the deaths of 14 individuals at Charles University took his own life.
The shooting, which occurred in the university’s Faculty of Arts building, marks the darkest chapter in Czech mass shooting history.
There is also unverified information suggesting the same individual may have been involved in the earlier killings of a man and his daughter in a nearby forest.
During a press briefing, officials detailed how students had to barricade themselves within the university building while the police methodically searched each level to secure their safety. Bodycam footage from the operation was released, showing the tense moments leading up to the discovery of the gunman’s body on the building’s roof.
As a precaution, during the evacuation, police instructed everyone to exit with raised hands due to initial uncertainties regarding potential accomplices of the gunman.
The city’s police director, Petr Matejcek, added that there were “piles of ammunition in the corridors” and said he believed the quick arrival of police prevented more bloodshed.
This was echoed by Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan, who told the BBC that the gunman had bought a lot of guns into the university and that he was “ready to kill a lot of people”.
Mr. Rakusan clarified that one person passed away later in a hospital and that thirteen people had died at the university.
Although women make up the majority of the injured and dead, it is believed that the killings were random.
“To speak about motives is not easy for this type of crime,” Mr Rakusan said, adding that he thought it might have something to do with the killer’s life and his mental state.
“We don’t have particular proof or info from him why he decided to do something so terrible.”
All of those killed in Thursday’s attack have now been identified, but only one person so far has been named officially. Lenka Hlavkova was head of the Institute of Musicology at Charles University.
“It’s extremely cruel news for all of us,” reads a Facebook post from the institute.
A total of 25 individuals sustained injuries in the attack, which included one Dutch citizen and two individuals from the United Arab Emirates. The assailant, identified as 24-year-old David Kozak, is believed to have also murdered his father at a different location.
Prior to the shooting, law enforcement had received a warning about the suspect’s intention to travel from a nearby town to Prague with the aim of taking his own life.
Authorities are now on high alert for potential individuals inspired by the recent attack, focusing on immediate threats, including monitoring social media channels. Ballistic evidence is awaited to confirm the connection between the university shooter and the murders of a man and his two-month-old daughter in the Klanovicky forest on December 15.
In response to criticism regarding the timing of weapon use, the head of Prague Police’s murder department stated that the university shooter had been a suspect in the earlier killings, emphasizing that the police prioritized minimizing harm in their response.
“It would be unfortunate if police used a gun and if there was an accident, and people… were killed or injured as a result of that accident,” he said.
Vit Rakusan told the BBC he thought the reaction of police was “really professional” based on the information they had, which was about a suicidal man and not a mass killer.
“When I see the timeline of this crime, I don’t see any empty places where the police could have worked better,” he said.