Prague — A peaceful morning turned into a nightmare when a student unleashed a deadly rampage at a university in the Czech capital, Prague, on Thursday. The gunman, a 24-year-old philosophy student, killed at least 14 people and wounded 25 others, including three foreign nationals, before taking his own life, authorities said.
The mass shooting was one of the worst attacks in the Czech Republic’s history and sent shockwaves across the nation and the world.
A Tragic Scene
The shooting occurred around 10 a.m. at the philosophy department building of Charles University, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe. The building is located near the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square, a busy tourist area in Prague’s Old Town.
Witnesses described hearing gunshots and screams as the shooter, armed with several legally owned weapons, moved from floor to floor, shooting at random. Some students and staff managed to escape or hide, while others were trapped inside.
“I heard a loud bang and then another one thought it was some kind of prank, but then I saw people running and screaming. I ran to the nearest classroom and locked the door. We stayed there for about an hour until the police came and told us it was safe to leave,” said Anna, a 21-year-old psychology student who declined to give her last name.
The police arrived at the scene within minutes and exchanged fire with the gunman, who was wearing a bulletproof vest. The shooter suffered “devastating injuries” but it was not clear if he killed himself or was shot by the police, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek said.
The police searched the building and the surrounding area, including the balcony where the shooter had fired at the crowd, for explosives and other evidence. They evacuated everyone from the building and sealed off the square.
A Senseless Motive
The police have not released the name of the shooter, but said he was an excellent student with no criminal record. They said they believed he had no accomplice and acted alone.
They also said they had no indication of a possible motive or a link to any extremist ideology or groups. However, they revealed that the shooter had killed his father earlier on Thursday in his hometown of Hostoun, just west of Prague, and that he had also been planning to kill himself.
They also said the shooter was suspected of killing a man and his 2-month-old daughter on Dec. 15, in Prague, in a case that had baffled the investigators.
Minister Vit Rakusan said the police worked overnight and identified 13 of the 14 victims, who were mostly students and staff of the university. He also said three of the wounded were foreigners – two from Saudi Arabia and one from the Netherlands.
A State Department spokesperson told CBS News Thursday evening that it was “not aware of any U.S. citizens injured or killed at this time” in the attack.
A Nation in Mourning
The shooting has shaken the Czech Republic, a country of 10.7 million people that has a low crime rate and strict gun laws. The last major shooting in the country occurred in 2015, when a man killed eight people at a restaurant in Uhersky Brod, a town in the east of the country.
Charles University, founded in 1348, is the oldest university in Central Europe and a symbol of the country’s culture and education. The university issued a statement earlier mourning “the loss of life” and expressing solidarity with the victims and their families.
The Czech government declared Saturday a national day of mourning to honor the victims. Flags flew at half-staff and a minute of silence was observed across the country at noon.
Czech President Petr Pavel said he was “shocked” by what happened and offered his condolences to the relatives of the victims. He also praised the police and the emergency services for their swift and professional response.
Leaders from many countries, including the United States, and the U.N Secretary-General conveyed their condolences and condemned the attack.
A City in Shock
The shooting has also stunned the city of Prague, a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful architecture and rich history. The city is home to about 1.3 million people and attracts millions of visitors every year.
Jan Palach Square, where the shooting took place, is just a few minutes’ walk from the picturesque Old Town Square, a major tourist attraction where thousands of visitors have been enjoying a popular Christmas market.
The square is named after Jan Palach, a student who set himself on fire in 1969 to protest the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. The square also features a bridge across the river with a view of Prague Castle, the seat of the Czech presidency and an iconic monument.
Where tourists, students and others would normally be enjoying the view of the castle and the festive atmosphere of the market, chaos and terror instead took hold on Thursday. Police vehicles and ambulances sped across the bridge with their sirens wailing. Officers sealed off the empty square and cordoned off the crime scene.
Early Friday, with the scene of the shooting still under investigation, people could be seen lighting candles and laying flowers to mourn the victims at an impromptu vigil by the university headquarters. Some held signs saying “We are not afraid” and “Prague is with you”.
Pavel Nedoma, the director of the nearby Rudolfinum Gallery, said he watched from a window as a person standing on a balcony of the building fired a gun he was shocked and saddened by the tragedy.
“It’s unbelievable that something like this could happen here, in this peaceful and beautiful city. It’s a terrible loss for the university, for the city, for the country. We have to stand together and support each other in this difficult time,” he said.
