Published On: December 22nd, 2023
A student opened fire on Thursday at Prague University, killing at least 14 people. Officials also state that more than 20 people got injured in the Czech Republic’s worst mass shooting. The latest Prague University update says that the bloodshed happened in the philosophy department building of Charles University. Sources confirm that the shooter was a student at the same university.
Dramatic footage emerged on television and social media soon after the incident with the headline “Prague University shooting leaves 14 dead.” Some of these videos showed people jumping to safety from one of the building’s ledges despite being several storeys up. What was more terrifying was the gunshots that were heard. Terrified crowds could also be seen fleeing the area popular with tourists in yet another video.
Police did not provide details about the victims. Nor did they mention any possible motive for the shooting at the building. It is located near the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square. Vit Rakusan, Czech Interior Minister, said the investigators do not suspect a link to extremist groups or ideology.
Prague University Shooting Incident
The Prague University students later said that most had barricaded themselves in classrooms.
An email was also sent to the staff at the Faculty of Arts to warn everyone about the terrible shooting. It asked the staff members to stay put and not go anywhere. They were further asked to lock their offices, turn off the lights, and place furniture in front of the door.
Latest on Prague Shooting
The Prague University shooting happened after the 24-year-old student, identified as David Kozak, opened fire on everyone present in the building. As per the latest Prague University update, this identified gunman is dead.
The Czech government has declared Saturday a national day of mourning to honour those who died during the incident.
Officers evacuated the philosophy department building of Charles University and sealed off Jan Palach Square. This is the place where the shooting took place. The police are still searching the areas, including the building premises, for any explosives.
Pavel Nedoma, the director of Rudolfinum Gallery in the square, reportedly said he saw a person shooting toward the nearby Manes bridge across the Vltava River. On the other hand, Prime Minister Petr Fiala cancelled his scheduled events and headed to Prague to get all the reports.
Who Was the Prague University Gunman?
All eyes are on the dead gunman who caused the bloodshed on the Prague University campus. Here is what the media has known about him till now:
- David Kozak studied Polish history at Prague University. Martin Vondrasek, Prague Police Chief, called him an “excellent student” with no criminal record. However, the official did not provide any other information about the student.
- The gunman suffered fatal injuries himself. Yet, it was not clear if he killed himself or was shot to death during the exchange of gunfire with officers. The latest Prague University update states that he had no accomplices.
- He owned several guns legally. According to the Czech police, Kozak was heavily armed Thursday and was seen carrying a lot of ammunition. It means whatever the gunman carried out was a “well thought out, horrible act.”
- Czech media stated that this person posted on social media about his thoughts on suicide and mass murder in the days preceding the attacks. He is said to have been inspired by “a terrible event abroad”.
- Police also believe that the shooter killed his father in his hometown in Houston. It is located west of Prague. This incident happened earlier on Thursday, and he was also planning to kill himself.
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