(Prague) A gunman killed more than 15 people at a Prague university on Thursday and injured more than 30 others before police shot him dead, Prague emergency services said.
“More than 15 people lost their lives and at least 24 were injured,” Czech police chief Martin Vondrasek told reporters.
Czech police previously announced on X that the attacker had been “eliminated”. “The building is currently evacuated and there are several dead and dozens injured at the scene,” she added.
The Prague emergency service reported on X that a “large number of ambulance units” had been deployed to the faculty, adding that among the injured there were very serious cases.
The Czech president declared himself “shocked” by this deadly shooting.
“I am shocked by these events… I would like to express my deep regret and my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the shooting,” said Mr. Pavel, who ends a two-day visit to Paris on Thursday, on X.
The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen immediately sent a message of compassion to Prague.
“I am shocked by the senseless violence of the shooting which claimed the lives of several people today in Prague. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the Czech people as a whole. We stand with you and cry with you,” she wrote in her post on X.
France, through its Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, expressed its “emotion” and “solidarity”.
According to Czech media, the shooting occurred at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, whose teachers and students were ordered to lock themselves up during the police intervention.
Rooftop Shooter
PHOTO PETR DAVID JOSEK, ASSOCIATED PRESS
According to Czech media, the shooting occurred at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, whose teachers and students were ordered to lock themselves up during the police intervention.
Private television channel Nova TV reported an explosion and a shooter on the roof of the building in Prague’s historic center.
Interior Minister Vit Rakusan told state television that the presence of “no other shooters” had been “confirmed” and called on the population to follow police instructions.
Police closed the area and asked people living nearby to stay home.