The Czech Republic woke up in mourning this Friday after the worst shooting in the country's recent history. On a rainy morning with temperatures hovering around freezing, dozens of people placed candles outside the headquarters of Charles University in central Prague to remember the fatal victims of the young man who broke into the philosophy faculty on Thursday. and letters. The attacker, a 24-year-old student named Dadid K., killed 14 people and injured 25 just hours after killing his father in Hostoun near the town of Kladno.
During a search of the family's home, evidence was found linking the perpetrator of the attack, who died during the police operation, to the deaths of two other people. It concerns a 35-year-old man and his daughter, a two-month-old baby, who were also victims of a shooting in the Klánovice Forest in the Prague district last week. Police are conducting ballistics tests to confirm whether their suspicions are true. The attacker had licenses for eight weapons, two of which were long guns.
Investigators have already identified all of the fatalities. According to health authorities, the injured are stable. Among them are two people from the United Arab Emirates and one from the Netherlands. Some are in serious condition and one of them is critical. In addition to medical care, dozens of people are receiving psychological help due to the impact of the event.
Reports from witnesses and survivors are increasingly appearing in the local media. Like that of a student who was part of the group that tried to take refuge on the ledge of the faculty building. According to Novinky's statement to Czech Radio, this young woman was in class when they heard gunshots. “We thought it was someone fooling around in the hallway and then a shot went through the door. “We hid under the tables as best we could,” he said.
According to his story, the attacker immediately returned and began breaking down the door. The students fled through the window. “We were on the fourth floor, so we ran across the roof and crawled along the ledge, around a corner. “There was a terrace below us,” he continued. They sat there for a long time until someone said that the attacker had also gone through the window.
Students from the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities at Charles University take refuge on a ledge during the shooting this Thursday in Prague.IVO HAVRANEK (Ivo Havranek via Portal)
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They then jumped onto the third floor terrace, broke the window, entered the building and ran down the stairs. For most, this escape resulted in bruises and some fractures. “But someone fell from the ledge onto the street,” said the young woman.
The victims of the attack also included students and employees of the university. After leaving the building on the fourth floor, the attacker shot and wounded three people on the street. When he was surrounded by police officers, he shot himself, Petr Matejcek, director of the regional police headquarters, said at a press conference on Friday.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala attends a tribute to the victims of the Prague shooting. DAVID W CERNY (Portal)
“I was in the building during the attack. What I saw in the hallways, the ammunition supplies, was incredible. “If the attacker had not been cornered, it would have been much worse,” Matejcek said after showing a recording made with cameras on the uniforms of police officers who entered the faculty. According to the information, between 220 and 230 agents were involved in the operation.
official mourning
Prague is experiencing a day of mourning after an afternoon and night in which many people worked hard to locate friends and acquaintances to see if they were OK. At an extraordinary meeting of the government together with President Petr Pavel on Thursday evening, they declared Saturday an official day of mourning. A church funeral will take place on this day at 11:00 a.m. in St. Vitus Cathedral.
The police have announced further security measures in recent days, especially in so-called soft targets, meaning places with a large influx of people and educational centers. According to local media, additional uniformed officers with long guns can already be seen on the streets. Police recorded a call Thursday evening from a person who said he would follow the attacker's example and who has already been identified and arrested.
The university, feeling vulnerable after the attack, called for increased security measures on Thursday. The Interior Minister has announced that preventive measures will be taken until at least January 1st. But it's not just Prague's educational centers that have woken up traumatized. Universities across the country are announcing initiatives to strengthen security, such as that of Palacký in Olomouc, where police will monitor more than 70 university buildings.
Candles in honor of the victims, this Thursday in Prague. DAVID W CERNY (Portal)
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