Flags will fly at half-mast on December 23 as folks observe a minute’s silence for the victims of the assault at Prague’s Charles College.
The Czech Republic has declared a day of mourning after a 24-year-old pupil shot lifeless his father, earlier than killing 14 people and wounding 25 others at his Prague college within the nation’s worst-ever mass taking pictures.
Following a particular cupboard assembly, President Petr Pavel mentioned December 23 can be a day of mourning with flags on official buildings to be flown at half-mast and folks requested to watch a minute’s silence at midday.
“I’d categorical my nice unhappiness together with helpless anger on the pointless lack of so many younger lives,” Pavel mentioned.
“I wish to categorical my honest condolences to all family members of the victims, to all who had been at this tragic incident, probably the most tragic within the historical past of the Czech Republic.”
The taking pictures erupted on Thursday afternoon on the Charles College’s College of Arts, throughout the river from Prague Citadel and close to different historic websites within the picturesque metropolis together with the 14th-century Charles Bridge.
Media pictures confirmed college students evacuating the constructing with their palms within the air, and others perched on a ledge close to the roof attempting to cover from the attacker, whereas college students barricaded school rooms with desks and chairs.
“I can affirm 14 victims of the horrible crime and 25 wounded, of which 10 significantly,” police chief Martin Vondrasek advised reporters after the taking pictures.
All of the victims had been killed contained in the constructing, he added. Media stories mentioned at the least a few of them had been the gunman’s fellow college students.
The Dutch Ministry of International Affairs mentioned one of many injured was a Dutch nationwide.
Folks lit candles outdoors the college, which was established in 1348 and is among the oldest in central Europe.
“We mourn the lack of lifetime of members of our college neighborhood, categorical our deepest condolences to all of the bereaved, and our ideas are with all these affected by the tragedy,” Charles College mentioned in a press release.
Lives wasted
Vondrasek mentioned the gunman, beforehand unknown to the police, had a lot of legally owned weapons and that swift police motion after a tip-off earlier within the day had prevented even worse carnage.
Police evacuated a College of Arts constructing the place the gunman was on account of attend a lecture, however had been then known as to the college’s bigger important constructing, arriving inside minutes after stories of the taking pictures, Vondrasek mentioned.
Police had “unconfirmed info from an account on a social community that he was supposedly impressed by one terrorist assault in Russia within the autumn of this 12 months,” Vondrasek advised reporters, describing the assault as a “pre-mediated horrific act”.
Authorities didn’t title the gunman however mentioned he was a high-achieving pupil with no prior legal file. His loss of life was in all probability a suicide, however authorities had been additionally investigating whether or not he may need been killed by police who returned fireplace.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala mentioned the “lone gunman … wasted many lives of principally younger folks”.
“There isn’t any justification for this horrendous act,” he added.
United States’ President Joe Biden condemned the “mindless” assault and the White Home mentioned the US was prepared to supply help.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “solidarity” with the Czech folks, as did different European leaders together with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a while Thursday, Vondrasek mentioned that based mostly on a search of his dwelling, the gunman was additionally suspected within the killing of one other man and his 2-month-old daughter in Prague on December 15.
Gun crime is comparatively uncommon within the Czech Republic.
In December 2019, a 42-year-old gunman killed six folks in a hospital ready room within the japanese Czech metropolis of Ostrava earlier than fleeing and fatally taking pictures himself, police mentioned.
In 2015, a person fatally shot eight folks after which killed himself at a restaurant in Uhersky Brod.