Prague, Czech Republic: A horrifying incident took place in the capital city of the Czech Republic – Prague, where fourteen (14) people were brutally murdered in an open fire incident at Charles University on Thursday.
According to the authorities, who are carrying forward the investigation, more than two dozen people have been injured – majorly and minorly, during this incident. The police officials took X, formerly known as Twitter, to share the updates, and according to the post, the shooter also lost his life in the shooting, as per NBC News.
Who was behind this brutal incident?
It is to be noted that for now, the aim and objective behind the shooting are unclear, and the identification list of the victims has also not been officially released. However, the authorities have suspected that a student from the university was behind the attack – who traveled there from the town of Hostouň.
The reports by NBC News further mentioned that the police officials have stated that there is a high possibility that the shooter killed himself following the attack.
Causalities during the attack
The police authorities initially stated that around 15 people had lost their lives to the attack and 24 had been injured; however, later, the figures were updated to 14 deaths and 25 injured. Meanwhile, it is unclear whether the gunman was included in the figures or not.
Prague Emergency Services has shared the details regarding the injured population – which has been seeking medical assistance in the nearby healthcare centers. As per the Police President – Martin Vondrášek, as many as ten (10) people are seriously injured; along with this, eight were reported to be “moderately seriously injured,” and five others were “slightly” injured. However, the authorities mentioned that the number of victims might increase or decrease.
Preliminary information by police authorities
According to the report received by the local police officials, an 24-year-old student – David Kozak, wanted to take his own life while he was on his way to Prague, as per the authorities.
The police officials received the first call about the shooting at the university campus at around 2:59 pm local time, and the officers were on the site within minutes, Police President Vondrášek said. Following a long search, the dead body of the shooter was found at around 3:20 pm local time.
The police authorities further mentioned that the father of the suspect was also found dead – apparently committing suicide. However, it is unclear whether it occurred before or after the shooting incident.
Closure of nearby institutions
Following the shooting attack, a building in downtown Prague was evacuated and the officials warned the general public to stay indoors. Besides this, the entire Náměstí Jan Palach and nearby regions were closed following the incident took place.
The NBC News geolocated some of the videos, shared online, which showed people running on the Charles Bridge following the shooting incident.
Condolences message by Charles University
The official website of Charles University, one of the oldest universities in Europe, posted a condolence message for the victims and their loved ones. The post read, “We mourn the loss of life of members of our university community, express our deepest condolences to all the bereaved and our thoughts are with all those affected by the tragedy.”
It further read, “We now ask everyone to try to remain calm and composed, and we again extend our condolences to all those whose hearts have been broken by the loss of loved ones.”
Prayers were sent by US President Joe Biden
President of the United States Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, along with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, expressed grief and prayed for the victims and their loved ones.