14 Killed in Czech Republic’s Worst-Ever Mass Shooting
A Czech student murdered his father, then killed 13 other people and wounded 25 before taking his own life on Thursday. This was Prague’s worst-ever mass shooting.
The shooting: David Kozak, a 24-year-old history student, opened fire on fellow classmates and exchanged fire with police on a walkway at the Charles University in Prague. He then shot and killed himself, after possibly being wounded by police.
Kozak’s father was found dead in the village of Hostoun. Authorities said that a “huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition” was found at Kozak’s home.
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Terrorism? Czech Republic Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said the shooting was not an act of “international terrorism.” However, Czech Police said they had “unconfirmed information from an account on a social network that he was supposedly inspired by one terrorist attack in Russia in the autumn of this year.”
Czech media also said Kozak posted on social media about fantasies of suicide and mass murders in the days leading up to the attack.
Another incident: Kozak is also suspected of having killed a man and his 2-year-old daughter a week ago. The pair had been found dead in the woods of a village outside of Prague.
Citizens in shock: One journalist said the university shooting was “the worst killing of its kind in this country.” Czech President Petr Pavel called it “the most tragic [event] in the history of the Czech Republic.”
On Thursday night, a crowd gathered at Prague Center to mourn the loss of the victims.
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The Czech government called for a national day of mourning on Saturday, December 23. Citizens will observe a minute of silence at noon, while flags on official buildings will be flown at half-staff.
Why mass shootings? Such violence like this mass shooting in Prague is, sadly, not uncommon. Shootings and attacks are happening throughout the world. To understand why, read “The Motives for Mass Shootings.”
