Prague university shooting: What we know the day after | Gun Violence News

EXPLAINER

A gunman killed 14 folks and injured 25 within the Czech Republic’s deadliest taking pictures.

The Czech Republic has declared a day of mourning after a taking pictures within the capital metropolis, Prague. World leaders have supplied condolences, and police have boosted safety in faculties and different public amenities.

Right here is all you have to know concerning the taking pictures:

When and the place did the taking pictures occur?

A scholar opened fireplace on Thursday at 3pm (14:00 GMT) on the Charles College’s School of Arts, which sits in a busy vacationer space in Prague’s Previous City close to websites just like the 14th-century Charles Bridge.

The gunman struck the fourth ground of the philosophy division constructing of the establishment positioned close to the Vltava river in Jan Palach Sq..

How many individuals have been killed and injured?

The gunman first shot and killed his father in his hometown of Hostoun, simply west of Prague, earlier than killing 14 other people within the Czech capital and injuring 25, together with three overseas nationals — two from Saudi Arabia and one from the Netherlands — authorities stated.

Of the folks killed, 13 have been recognized. Authorities warned that the demise toll may rise.

That is the deadliest mass taking pictures of its sort within the Czech Republic’s historical past. Beforehand, the nation’s worst mass taking pictures was in 2015 when a gunman opened fireplace within the southeastern city of Uhersky Brod, killing eight folks earlier than fatally taking pictures himself.

Who was the shooter at Charles College?

The alleged shooter was recognized as 24-year-old David Kozak, a scholar on the college. Authorities stated he was a high-achieving scholar with no prior legal report.

Nevertheless, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek stated later that based mostly on a search of his residence, the alleged gunman was additionally suspected within the killing of one other man and his two-month-old daughter in Prague on December 15.

Kozak died on the scene, in line with the inside minister. Authorities are investigating whether or not he was killed by police or whether or not he died by suicide.

The taking pictures was premeditated, the police stated. Officers had “unconfirmed info from an account on a social community that he was supposedly impressed” by a mass taking pictures in Russia this 12 months, they stated.

After a search of Kozak’s residence, the police stated he legally owned a number of weapons and was armed through the assault.

What are the Czech Republic’s gun legal guidelines?

Czech firearms laws recognises the precise to “purchase, maintain and bear firearms”. In 2021, a constitutional modification legally assured the precise to self-defence with a weapon or the defence of another person.

To acquire a gun licence, persons are required to undergo a number of steps, together with safe-handling coaching and testing.