The gunman who went on a carnage in Prague on Thursday reportedly murdered his father before indiscriminately shooting people from the balcony of a top university where he was a student killing at least 15, police confirmed. Police haven't identified the gunman but social media claims that his name was David Kozak.
A disturbing image circulating on local media appears to show the gunman dressed in black aiming a rifle at people below while standing on top of the Charles University Faculty of Arts building this afternoon. Young students seeking refuge were found huddled on the scaffolding of the building and were under lockdown in classrooms, as reported by officials.
Gunman Killed Father Before Shooting
Terrified students and tourists were seen fleeing from the building as gunshots rang out in one of Europe's prime tourist hotspots. Witnesses recounted that the gunman appeared to be systematically targeting his victims one by one.
Elite police units were seen storming the philosophy department building of Charles University, where the gunman was a student.
Police reported that the gunman had been "eliminated" at 4 p.m., an hour after the deadly incident began.
Authorities stated that the gunman's body was found nearby and indicated the possibility of suicide as law enforcement closed in on him, though they also mentioned firing at him.
"Due to the devastating injury sustained by the suspect, we are unable to confirm his identity," police spokesman Martin Vondráček said. "From the information available to me, there should have been a suicide, however, the police also used a service weapon."
The 24-year-old gunman allegedly fired at his victims one by one from the top of the building, following an earlier incident where he is reported to have murdered his father in the town of Hostoun.
The massacre resulted in at least 15 people being killed, marking it as the worst mass shooting in the history of the Czech Republic.
Dramatic video footage showed terrified crowds of tourists and locals sprinting across the renowned Charles Bridge, one of Europe's premier tourist sites. The frantic movement ensued after the sickening sound of gunshots echoed through the city.
On a Killing Spree
A disturbing image circulated on local media appears to show a man dressed in black aiming a rifle at people below, standing on top of a faculty building. Witnesses reported that the gunman was selectively targeting his victims one by one.
The philosophy department of the university, located in Jan Palach Square, was evacuated, as confirmed by Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda.
Sirens blared, and police vehicles surrounded the campus building, as shown in panicked scenes captured by onlookers on social media videos, with people attempting to flee the area.
"We urge citizens not to stay in the immediate vicinity and not to leave the house," the Prague police insisted.
"Currently stuck inside my classroom in Prague. Shooter is dead, but we are waiting to be evacuated. Praying to make it out alive," journalist Jakob Weizman wrote on X alongside a photo of the darkened classroom where he was sheltering.
"Locked the door before the shooter tried to open it. F–king hell," he regretted.
The director of a gallery located in the square reported to Czech television that he saw a man firing a gun toward the nearby Manes bridge.
Another social media user posted a striking photo depicting what seemed to be students desperately huddling on the scaffolding of the university building.
Police later said that they killed the gunman after a tactical operation to storm the building. Authorities are actively working to evacuate those who were trapped inside. "The gunman was eliminated!!!" police said on X, formerly Twitter. "The building is currently being evacuated and there are several dead and dozens of wounded people on the scene."
Petr Nedoma, the director of the Rudolfinum, a concert hall on the square opposite the Faculty of Arts, told Czech broadcaster CT24: "Upstairs on the walkway of the Faculty of Arts, I saw a man standing with a gun in his hand and shooting towards the Mánes bridge with certain delays.
"I watched what was happening from inside the Rudolfinum for a long time. I stayed in the building and was by the windows for as much cover as possible."
"Then he put his hands up and threw the gun toward the road, it remained lying by the philosophy faculty. Then a lot of people appeared upstairs, I don't know if it was the police," Nedoma added.
"I left the window and watched the police evacuate people from the Faculty of Philosophy, taking them away with their hands behind their heads in different directions, a large number of cars, people running around."
An email sent to Charles University staff advised faculty members to "stay put" while the investigation was ongoing.
