Prague university shooting that left 15 dead: Here's what we know so far
NEW DELHI: A shooting at Prague university has left at least 15 dead and several others injured in Czech Republic’s worst shooting in decades. Czech police responded to the shooting at Charles University’s arts building in Jan Palach Square at around 3 pm, later informing that the shooter has been ‘eliminated’.
Here’s what we know so far:
The incident took place at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, located near well-known tourist destinations including the 14th-century Charles Bridge.
According to BBC news, the authorities identified the assailant as 24-year-old David K. The police said the shooter was a student at the faculty of arts at Charles University and fell from the roof of the building after opening fire on Jan Palach Square.
Prior to this incident, the assailant had left his village of Houstoun, located 20 km west of Prague, following the shooting of his father.
David K had been enrolled in the Institute of World History at Charles University’s arts faculty in Palach Square.
Police revealed that the assailant was scheduled to attend a lecture that afternoon in a separate university building on Celetna Street, just a brief stroll from the arts faculty and in proximity to Prague’s Old Town Square, the police had initiated a search for him in that area prior to the tragic shooting.
Yet, the unanswered question remains, what prompted him to divert to the main arts faculty building while carrying a firearm?
An email to staff at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, had said a shooter was in one of its buildings and had told staff to “stay put”, Reuters reported. “Don’t go anywhere, if you’re in the offices, lock them and place furniture in front of the door, turn off the lights,” the email said.
Police department’s response
The police reported that the area was evacuated and “numerous ambulance units” were deployed to the faculty to attend to people with injuries varying from minor to severely serious. The police department announced the closure of the square and strongly encouraged individuals to evacuate the neighboring streets and take shelter indoors.
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‘Carried out in individual capacity’
“There is no indication that this crime has any link to international terrorism”, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan told reporters of the shooting at the Charles University’s building. He also informed the public via Czech TV that there was no confirmation of any additional gunmen and urged individuals to adhere to the instructions provided by the police.
History of gun-crimes in Czech
Although gun crimes are uncommon in the Czech Republic, a 42-year-old attacker claimed the lives of six individuals in a hospital waiting room located in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava in 2019. Another notable incident took place in 2015 when a man fatally shot eight people before committing suicide at a restaurant in Uhersky Brod.
(With agency inputs)
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