A gunman who opened fire at a university in Prague on Thursday, killing 14 people, was a student who ranted about murdering his father prior to the rampage, according to reports.
The shooter, who has not been named, was said to have taken his own life at the scene—with Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda telling reporters he had jumped from the roof of the building. Some reports said he had first shot himself before plunging from the building.
Police chief Martin Vondrášek said the 24-year-old suspect had apparently been inspired by mass shootings abroad. Authorities had been tipped off about potential trouble at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts even before the shooting, he said, with information coming in that the shooter was heading to Prague and making suicidal statements after his father was found dead.
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Authorities revised an early death toll of “at least 15 people” down to 14 total. The local ambulance service said at least 10 people were in serious condition, with at least 25 total suffering injuries.
The motive behind the attack is not yet known, though a journalist for Czech Radio, Ondrej Soukup, reported on X that the shooter had yelled that he killed his father in the morning and now was going to kill everyone.
The shooter, who was armed with a rifle and scope, reportedly fired at people within Charles University’s Faculty of Arts before going out onto the ledge of the building and firing at passersby.
The entire area around Jan Palach Square has been cordoned off as first responders work to help the victims.
Footage from the scene showed students fleeing the building with their hands raised in the air. Others barricaded themselves inside offices and classrooms, while still others climbed out onto the building’s ledge to hide. University employees were warned to take shelter and that the shooter might be moving around the building, one eyewitness told Radio Liberty.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala decried what he characterized as a “senseless attack.”
“There is absolutely no explanation, no justification for this. Like many of you, I am feeling a deep sorrow and disgust over this incomprehensible and brutal violence,” Fiala said. “Dear citizens, please let us think of all those who have lost their loved ones. This Christmas will be unimaginably sad for them. At this dark hour, we should come together and respect each other, to show our respect for the victims.”
Interior Minister Vít Rakušan visited the scene and reassured that there is no wider threat to the public.
“I don't want to comment on the shooter’s motivation at the moment, we are still mapping the situation,” he told reporters late Thursday.
