This weekend, the Czech Republic is in mourning after a tragic mass shooting at a Prague university that claimed the lives of 14 individuals. Bells tolled throughout the country, and flags were flown at half mast as a sign of respect for the victims.
The Archbishop Jan Graubner presided over a mass at the main St. Vitus cathedral at the Prague Castle, and a minute of silence was observed at noon. Despite heavy rain and snow, people stopped in the streets and malls during Christmas shopping to pay their respects.
The devastating event occurred when a 24-year-old student launched a shooting spree at the Charles University’s Faculty of Arts in downtown Prague. Tragically, he killed both students and lecturers before taking his own life as the police closed in on him at the top of the school’s building.
Following the tragedy, condolences poured in from relatives, friends, and colleagues on social networks. Over 25 people were taken to hospitals, with 13 individuals sustaining serious injuries.
Outside the Faculty of Arts and the Charles University’s headquarters in the historic city centre, mourners continued to gather, leaving candles and flowers at makeshift memorials to honor the victims.
Vlasta Roflik, a mourner outside the Faculty of Arts, expressed deep sadness over the loss of a neighbor who was a music professor at the university. Another individual, Vera Eliaskova, recounted the harrowing experience of her friend who was present at the time of the shooting. Her friend’s colleague warned her to take cover, and she survived by hiding under a table.
Police revealed that the shooter killed his father at their home outside Prague before carrying out the shooting spree. Additionally, ballistic analysis linked a gun found at his house to the previous murders of a man and a two-month-old baby.
Authorities disclosed that they had been closing in on the perpetrator in relation to the initial murders, but they were unable to apprehend him in time. The Czech Republic has relatively lenient gun laws, with over 300,000 individuals holding around 1 million firearms primarily for self-defense, sport, and hunting. Mass shootings are still infrequent, with only two smaller attacks in the past decade.
Speaker of the upper house of parliament Milos Vystrcil acknowledged that there would be discussions on how to prevent similar attacks in the future, emphasizing the need to maintain a balance between freedom and regulation in free societies. He stressed the importance of showing compassion to the victims’ families and finding ways to avoid such tragedies in the future, noting that it is the responsibility of every member of society, not just politicians or security measures in universities.
As the Czech Republic is covered in mourning during the holiday season, the hope is to draw strength and inspiration from this tragedy to work towards a safer future.
(Reporting by Radan Sprongl, Max Schwarz and Jan Lopatka, writing by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
