He climbed to the roof of the Faculty of Philosophy at Charles University in Prague and began shooting wildly, killing 14 people and wounding 25. Then he committed suicide or was perhaps eliminated by the rushing officers.
David Kozak, 24 years old, Czech, student at the same universityShortly before the massacre, he had killed his father in the Kladno area, about thirty kilometers from the capital. “There is no indication that this crime has any connection to international terrorism,” said Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan, trying to reassure people shocked by what politicians and observers have described as the worst tragedy in the history of the country refer to the Czech Republic. And Czech President Petr Pavel was also “shocked” and expressed his condolences on X.
“It was a premeditated violent attack”said police chief Martin Vondrasek, while the insane sentences of a kind of diary that the murderer had written on Telegram in the last few days were already circulating in the media. “Let me introduce myself, my name is David and I want to take part in a school shooting and possibly commit suicide… I always wanted to kill, I thought I would become a madman in the future,” but “I realized it “It is more convenient to commit a mass massacre than to be a serial killer,” Kozak wrote on the social network, with bright eyes and a clean face like a boy in the photo that stands out on all sites. A disturbing, psychiatric profile of a boy who, again on Telegram, said he was inspired by Alina Afanaskina, a 14-year-old Russian girl who shot a classmate in early December, injured five other people and then killed herself. Another episode is also a source of inspiration: the school shooting in Kazan, Tatarstan, in May 2021, in which nine people, including seven students, were killed and more than 20 were injured.
Amid the paranoid delirium that floods the platforms every day, no one noticed the boy who posted on December 17th: “I hate the world and want to leave as much pain as possible.” The police are checking the authenticity of the messages and have now reconstructed the events, which show how carefully Kozak planned the massacre. The carnage began that morning with the discovery of the father's lifeless body at 12:40 p.m. in his house about thirty kilometers from Prague. The alerted police evacuated a university building at 2 p.m. where the suspect was supposed to go to class. But Kozak taunted the officers by walking to another building where he opened fire, triggering the massacre. There were 14 dead and 25 injured on the ground, a dozen of them in serious condition. At 3:20 p.m., the police chief said, the murderer's body was found on the ledge of the building. It is not clear whether he committed suicide or was killed by officials, who were working to name all the victims.
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ANSA Agency “I heard four shots, I thought they were Christmas fireworks” – News – Ansa.it Italian-Czech student tells of the moments of the massacre. Expat, “safe city, a shock” (ANSA)
The shock in the city and the countryside was intense. Terror at the university. “We locked ourselves in the library and hid under the table. We all remained silent and wrote to our families, to the police,” one of the witnesses said on social media, explaining that the management of the Faculty of Arts had sent emails telling students how to move and where to barricade themselves can. What remains of these moments of panic is the symbolic image of an unnecessarily announced massacre: a group of students huddled together on a ledge in front of a window of the university building. Still silent.
The Czech interior minister and police told a news conference that officials were working on the theory that the university bomber was also responsible for the deaths of two people in the Klanovicky forest near Prague last week.
There was a huge arsenal of weapons in the faculty building. This is reported by the Ctk agency on the grounds that there would have been many more victims without quick police intervention.
University teacher: “In my course, 3 Italians answered me”
“At that moment I was sitting on the tram. The conductor told us to get off because the tram couldn't move any further. I got out and crossed the bridge on foot, I was 200 meters from the crime scene. I started hearing two or three shots, and as I walked away I heard another shot. At first I didn't have much idea, I thought they were Christmas fireworks. This is what Luca, 19 years old, an Italian-Czech student, told ANSA. “I tried to contact the students of the course,” adds Flavio Rosario Glauco Mela, Italian teacher. “The three Italians answered me, luckily they didn’t have lessons.”
Mattarella, Italy, expresses its condolences for an act of brutal violence. Message to President Petr Pavel
“All of Italy heard with deep sadness the news of the shooting that shocked the University of Prague and left several people dead and many injured. On this sad occasion, I would like to express to you the deepest condolences of the Italian Republic and myself. We are united in a sense of common solidarity with the pain of the families devastated by such brutal violence and we wish one to the injured “quick and complete recovery.” The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, wrote this to the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel.
Witnesses to the shooting: “We barricaded ourselves in the library”
“We locked ourselves in the library and hid under the table. We all remained silent and wrote to our families, to the police.” This is one of the stories on social media from witnesses to the Prague University shooting. Many recounted moments of terror and explained that the management of the Faculty of Arts had emailed students telling students how to move and where to barricade themselves.
“I'm fine,” says Děda Mrázek on “We tell our relatives and friends that we're fine.” Other students say that the police started searching the faculty building on Celetná Street at two o'clock. “They started clearing another building, I was there, we thought someone had reported a bomb,” another student told Czech newspaper Hn anonymously.
The pain of the President of the Crui
“The news from Prague leaves Italian universities in dismay. The CRUI and the entire university system mourn the victims of this senseless act and would like to express their solidarity with the affected families as well as the teachers, researchers and staff of the University of Prague. This was stated by Giovanna Iannantuoni, President of the CRUI.
Von der Leyen is “shocked by the senseless violence in Prague”
“I am shocked by the senseless violence of the shooting that claimed several victims in Prague today. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the entire Czech people. We are close to you and cry with you.” The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote it in X.
Meloni, we condemn terrorism, the EU guarantees security
“Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent a message to the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, expressing his deepest condolences and closeness to the families of the victims of the shooting in Prague and to the entire population of the Czech Republic.” This was reported in a statement from Palazzo Chigi, which said that the Prime Minister “strongly condemns all forms of violence, fanaticism and terrorism and emphasizes that Europe has the duty to respond and strengthen all useful instruments to combat the to ensure the greatest possible security for citizens.” “.
Tajani, “unimaginable violence, Italy close to the Czech people”
“I deeply regret the terrible news from Prague. Innocent lives were destroyed by an unimaginable act of violence. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and injured, whom I wish a speedy recovery. Italy is close to the Czech people.” . Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote it on X.
Sanchez is “shocked by the terrible news from Prague”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “shocked” by the “terrible news from Prague,” where several people were killed in a shooting. “I express my affection and sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this senseless tragedy,” Sánchez added on X. The message also shows “solidarity” with the Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and the people of his country.
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