On Thursday, a mass shooting occurred at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, resulting in the deaths of at least 15 people and the injury of 24 others. The shooter, who was later killed by police, was identified as a student in the faculty of arts. The incident is considered the country's worst-ever mass shooting.
The shooting took place at the faculty of arts building in Jan Palach Square. Czech police responded to the scene shortly after 3 p.m. local time. Prior to the shooting, the father of the shooter was found dead. Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda expressed his shock at the incident, stating that they had always believed such events were not a concern for their city.
The area surrounding the shooting was sealed off by police, and emergency services were deployed to the scene. Prime Minister Petr Fiala offered his condolences to those affected by the "inexcusable attack" and cancelled his planned trip to the east of the country to visit Prague instead.
Witnesses described the chaotic scene, with one person seeing the shooter on a gallery with a weapon and another hearing gunshots as they exited a tram near the university. Students were evacuated from the building by police, with one student recounting the terrifying experience of being shouted at by armed officers to run outside.
Gun crime is uncommon in the Czech Republic, making this incident particularly shocking. The last major shooting in the country occurred in 2019 when a gunman killed six people in a hospital waiting room before taking his own life.
As investigations into the shooting continue, the tragedy has left the country in mourning and raises questions about the emergence of individual shooters within their society.