Prague gunman who killed 15 as he opened fire from university rooftop was a student, police say

21 December 2023, 15:02 | Updated: 21 December 2023, 17:34

A Prague gunman who killed at least 15 people from the roof of a university in the Czech capital was a student there, police have said.

The gunman wielding a "long firearm" opened fire on crowds from a rooftop over Jan Palach Square in the city's Old Town, near the famous Charles University's Faculty of Arts - where he was a student.

Video footage posted on social media showed people fleeing for their lives across the famous Charles Bridge in the centre of Prague. At least 24 more people have been injured.

The shooter, who is confirmed to be dead, was from a village 21km outside of Prague. His father was found dead earlier, police added.

"The entire building is currently being evacuated and there are several dead and dozens of injured at the scene," police said at around 15.40 local time on X. "We urge citizens not to stay in the immediate vicinity and not to leave their houses."

Ten people were reported dead following the gunfire, while dozens more were rushed to receive emergency medical attention.

Amid the chaos and devastation, people from inside the building where the gunman was firing were pictured scrambling out of a window onto a ledge on the side of the building to find safety.

Others at the scene posted images to social media of them cowering inside the building to find refuge, forming barricades at classroom doors.

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Czech media reported the gunman was dead following the shooting - as locals reported he had fallen from the rooftop. Local media said he first turned the gun on himself.

“The shooter has been eliminated!," police confirmed minutes later, following harrowing scenes of tourists and residents fleeing the scene while gunshots rang out.

Images on social media appeared to show the gunman dressed in black with a rifle aimed at crowds below. Witnesses described the male shooter as picking his victims off one by one.

One terrified student posted online that the gunman tried to open the door to their classroom but they had locked it moments earlier.

Jakob Weizman wrote: “Currently stuck inside my classroom in Prague. Shooter is dead, but we are waiting to be evacuated. Praying to make it out alive.

“Locked the door before the shooter tried to open it. F***ing hell.”

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Student Deda Mrazek posted online: “I am OK. I was in the library at the time of the shooting.” She shared an image of students hiding in the back of a computer lab.

An email sent to staff and students told people to ‘stay put’.“Don't go anywhere, if you're in the offices, lock them and place furniture in front of the door, turn off the lights,” the email said.

Within minutes of the shooting, armed police swept into the university building where the gunman was "eliminated".

Prague's mayor Bohuslav Svoboda, the gunman fell from the building and died. It has not yet been confirmed if he was killed by police or turned the weapon on himself.

"I urge citizens not to go to the place to look. I want to reassure the public, the shooter has been eliminated, another attacker has not been confirmed," the country's interior minister, Vít Rakušan, told news outlet ČT.

Mr Rakušan said he would "not comment on the shooter's motivation at the moment".

"We are still mapping the situation," the minister said. "I appreciate the professional intervention of all components. The police were on the scene within minutes. We will call a press briefing with the chief of police and then with the prime minister."

There had been reports of a second shooter at the scene, but Mr Rakušan initially confirmed this was not the case and there was no further immediate danger. He stressed people should still cooperate with policing instructions amid the aftermath.

However Czech reports suggest dozens of armed officers swept on a house in Kladensko, northwest of Prague, which has been linked to the faculty shooting.

Officers have not given more details on that operation.

Mr Rakušan later said: "At the moment, there is no way to confirm the connection with the investigated case in Klánovice."