A student opened fire Thursday at a university in Prague, killing at least 14 people, officials said, and injuring more than 20 in the Czech Republic’s worst mass shooting.

The bloodshed took place in the philosophy department building of Charles University, where the shooter was a student, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek said. The gunman also died, authorities said. His name has not been released.

Vondrasek said in the evening that 14 people had died and 25 were injured, after earlier reporting that 15 had died and 24 were hurt. He didn’t explain the change. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise.

Police gave no details about the victims or a possible motive for the shooting at the building located near the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square. Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said investigators do not suspect a link to any extremist ideology or groups.

Vondrasek said police believe the gunman killed his father earlier Thursday in his hometown of Hostoun, just west of Prague, and that he had also been planning to kill himself. He didn’t elaborate.

  • @plactagonic
    link
    16 months ago

    No

    The gun laws in our country are solid. This attack is really uncommon.

    You can’t decide to do this and buy a gun. Gun licence is tedious process, psychotests, handling courses, legislation tests… By the time you would get a gun (probably didn’t get it with these motive’s) you would kill using something different or didn’t do it at all.

    This happened always when someone with licence get psychologycaly unstable. But first attack with legally acquired gun is from 2015. This is third attack with legal guns since then.

    Then there are some cases with illegal guns but even they are rare.