PRAGUE — The Czech Republic has declared a nationwide day of mourning on December 23 for the 13 individuals killed by a 24-year-old pupil in central Prague in a mass capturing that has shocked the Central European nation and has prompted a number of messages of solidarity.
Inside Minister Vit Rakusan clarified that earlier experiences that 14 individuals had been killed within the assault carried out at a constructing of Charles College included the shooter, who police now verify died by suicide.
The capturing at Charles College in central Prague on December 21 additionally wounded 25 individuals, together with 10 severely. It was the nation’s worst mass capturing and one of many worst on report in Europe.
”The Czech Republic has by no means skilled such an act,” Rakusan mentioned shortly after the capturing, including that there was no indication that the capturing had any reference to worldwide terrorism.
”I used to be on the scene of a horrific crime a second in the past. I noticed an enormous arsenal of weapons and ammunition within the school constructing,” police chief Martin Vondrasek mentioned. ”If it weren’t for the fast intervention of the police, there would have been many occasions extra victims.”
Vondrasek mentioned police imagine the shooter killed his father in his hometown of Hostoun, west of Prague, earlier within the day, and that he had additionally been planning to kill himself.
He added that police are investigating whether or not the shooter, a authorized gun proprietor, is similar assailant who killed a 32-year-old man and his 2-month-old daughter on December 15 in a park in Prague.
Czech media experiences say that police are trying into social media posts allegedly written by the shooter to find out if there was a hyperlink to the assault.
Police introduced on December 22 that they’d launched a nationwide effort to safe colleges and different gentle targets, whereas stressing that the measure was preventative and that no particular threats had been recognized.
Mass shootings are uncommon in Europe, however there have been a minimum of three others this 12 months. A gunman in March within the German metropolis of Hamburg shot lifeless six individuals and wounded eight earlier than killing himself.
The opposite two came about in Serbia in a single week in Might. A 13-year-old boy gunned down eight fellow college students and a safety guard in a Belgrade faculty. Two days later, a gunman killed eight individuals and wounded 14 others in a village close to the Serbian capital.
Reactions to the Prague capturing got here from different European capitals and from the appearing president of RFE/RL, whose headquarters is in Prague about 6 kilometers from Charles College.
”RFE/RL joins with our group in Prague in expressing solidarity with all affected by right this moment’s surprising occasions at Charles College,” appearing President Jeffrey Gedmin mentioned in an announcement.
Czech President Petr Pavel mentioned he was “shocked” by what occurred and provided his condolences to the family of the victims, as did leaders of Germany, France, Slovakia, the European Union, and Israel.
The White Home mentioned the USA is able to assist the Czech Republic as wanted.
”Federal authorities are in contact with Czech authorities as they examine this incident, and we stand prepared to offer extra assist as wanted,” White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy additionally reacted with shock and disappointment.
”I specific my honest condolences to the households of the victims and need the injured a speedy restoration, he mentioned on X, previously generally known as Twitter.
The capturing came about within the philosophy division constructing of Charles College’s College of Arts situated on Jan Palach Sq., inflicting panic all through the middle of Prague.
A photograph that circulated on social media confirmed a bunch of eight college students who climbed by home windows to conceal on a ledge of the constructing about 5 tales up.
A trainer on the college, Sergei Medvedev, confirmed to RFE/RL that lecturers and college students acquired e-mail messages instructing them to remain barricaded of their lecture rooms and switch off lights to guard themselves from the shooter, who was contained in the constructing on the time.
Medvedev mentioned he was lecturing when he and his college students started listening to individuals shouting and sirens. After they regarded out the window and noticed streets cordoned off and the bridge empty, they barricaded themselves within the classroom till particular forces arrived.
All the scholars who had been with him received out safely, he mentioned, however on their approach out they noticed a ”horrible” scene that included blood within the stairway and stretchers that appeared to have our bodies on them.
”We didn’t know what was taking place…and the way it was going to finish,” pupil Liza Chukharova informed Present Time, describing how she and fellow college students barricaded themselves of their classroom for 40 minutes till particular forces got here and informed them to stroll out with their fingers raised.
”There was an excessive amount of blood in every single place and stretchers round,” she mentioned, including that emergency workers had been readily available to offer psychological assist to those that wanted it together with tea and metallic covers to heat themselves.
”They’re saying that all the things goes to be all proper,” she mentioned.
With reporting by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, Present Time, Dnes, and Reflex