A lone gunman, armed with a sniper rifle, systematically targeted people from the rooftop of a top university in Prague on Thursday in a shooting spree that lasted for an hour. The incident ended when elite police officers intervened and stormed the building. The shooter has since been identified as 24-year-old art student David Kozak.
Kozak who carried out a rampage at Charles University in downtown Prague, killed 14 people and injured 25 others, according to police before taking his own life. Although there is no more threat to lives in Prague, chilling reports are emerging about Kozak and how he was obsessed with carrying out a mass school shooting.
Killed Father, Another Man and a Child
Kozak had a huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition, the country's Interior Minister confirmed, saying that if the police hadn't intervened in the building swiftly, the assailant would not have been found dead on the roof, and the number of victims could have been much higher.
However, before carrying out the rampage at Charles University in the Czech capital, where he indiscriminately shot people from the balcony of the Charles University Arts faculty, Kozak killed his father in Hostoun.
In the period preceding his violent spree, it is believed that Kozak maintained a diary in Russian on the messaging app Telegram. In one disturbing post, he wrote, "I want to do a school shooting and possibly suicide."
Fresh reports reveal that authorities are exploring the possibility that Kozak may have been involved in the killing of a 32-year-old father and his two-month-old daughter in Klanovice, near Prague.
The authorities are currently investigating whether the two separate killing sprees could be connected.
The police have not provided details about the victims or a potential motive for the country's worst-ever mass shooting. Nonetheless, Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said that there is no suspected link to any extremist ideology or groups.
Award-Winning Philosophy Student
Kozak, identified as a history student, achieved excellent results during his university studies, according to Sarajevo Times. He successfully graduated in European history and pursued master's studies, with a focus on the history of Poland.
His academic success was recognized by the Polish Institute in Prague, which awarded him in May for his work titled "Problems of the Antagonism of the Galician Peasant and Krakow Uprising of 1846."
A Telegram account attributed to Kozák featured disturbing posts, including one on December 17 that stated, "I hate the world and want to leave as much pain as possible."
The final post, dated December 19, mentioned, "I have a ringing in my ears ... like some kind of f–king fireflies. I wanted to rip my ears out."
It is suspected that Kozak drew inspiration from a recent school shooting carried out by a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Russia earlier this month.
Kozák allegedly wrote on December 10, "I want to do a school shooting and possibly suicide, Alina Afanaskina helped me too much," referring to the Bryansk school shooter who killed two students before taking her own life.
The chilling post in what the writer called their 'diary' about 'life before the shooting' went on: "I always wanted to kill, I thought I would become a maniac in the future."
Kozak's death is likely a suicide. Authorities are actively investigating the possibility that he may have been killed by police during the exchange of gunfire.
"We always thought that this was a thing that did not concern us. Now it turns out that, unfortunately, our world is also changing and the problem of the individual shooter is emerging here as well," Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda told Czech Television of the horrifying act of violence.
A person bearing a resemblance to Kozak was observed carrying a large gun on the roof of the university, as depicted in a pair of photos circulating on social media.
Terrified students and tourists were observed running for safety, while some sought refuge beneath a window ledge on the tall building as gunshots echoed through one of Europe's prominent tourist destinations. Reports indicate that one individual may have died after falling from a building while seeking cover.
Concerns are raised that tourists might be among the casualties, including the 25 people injured in Thursday's shooting. Police are actively working to identify the victims and have committed to providing updates to embassies if foreign nationals are affected by this tragic incident.
