Ammunition piles, barricaded school rooms and shooter suicide: Police reveal how Prague mass taking pictures unfolded

The gunman who killed 14 individuals throughout a rampage at a college in Prague took his personal life after a rooftop shootout, police have revealed.

David Kozak, 24, took his personal by taking pictures himself as armed police cornered him on the balcony of the Charles College’s School of Arts constructing after killing greater than a dozen individuals and injuring 25 extra with an assault rifle. Lenka Hlavkova, the pinnacle of the Institute of Musicology on the college’s School of Arts, is the primary of his victims to be named, a mom who leaves behind a younger household with two sons.

As Prague mourns its useless and tries to recuperate from the deadliest mass taking pictures within the Czech Republic’s historical past, authorities revealed how occasions unfolded on Thursday.

A scholar on the college, Kozak is believed to have killed his father in his hometown of Hostoun earlier than travelling 24km (15 miles) to the nation’s capital to launch the devastating assault.

Police confirmed Kozak was additionally a key suspect within the homicide of a person and a two-month-old child found in a forest east of Prague on 15 December. They have been first alerted to Kozak on Thursday by a pal who had acquired a suicidal message in a textual content from Kozak. Twenty minutes later, his father’s physique was found in his home the place officers additionally discovered weapons and explosives.

A nationwide search was launched, and police have been instructed Kozak was heading to one of many college campuses. An hour later, taking pictures began on the School of Arts constructing.

Bodycam footage performed at a media briefing confirmed officers racing contained in the constructing and scaling the steps, at first unable to seek out the suspect, earlier than an officer exterior alerted them that Kozak was on the roof.

Photos on social media appeared to indicate the shooter wearing black with a big gun aimed in direction of the sq. from a balcony. Close by, on an out of doors ledge of the constructing, eight terrified college students could possibly be seen hiding.

As police exterior exchanged fireplace with the shooter, armed officers closed in on Kozak on the fourth-floor balcony, and the town’s police director Petr Matejcek mentioned the gunman had killed himself when approached.

“What I noticed contained in the corridors, which have been piles of ammunition, unbelievable portions, if that particular person hadn’t been cornered in time he would possibly, or may not of, have continued,” Mr Matejcek mentioned. “I can say that I consider the quick response and arrival of cops on the scene prevented additional bloodshed and additional victims.”

In the course of the assault, college students barricaded themselves in school rooms, too scared to go exterior whereas the constructing was evacuated. One scholar, Jakob Weizman, who was inside a barricaded classroom, mentioned: “[We] locked the door earlier than the shooter tried to open it.”

After Kozak killed himself, armed police scoured the constructing for potential explosive units or accomplices and on Friday, officers mentioned they believed he had acted on his personal, probably impressed by massacres overseas.

Utilizing the Telegram messaging platform he praised the killer behind a faculty scholar in Kaza, russia, in 2021. And in a single chilling put up, he wrote: “I wish to do faculty taking pictures and probably suicide.” Kozak was reportedly finding out for a masters diploma in world historical past with a particular concentrate on the historical past of Poland. He had a lecture at 2pm on the day of the bloodbath.

On the press convention, police officers have been questioned on the hyperlink between Kozak and the homicide of the person and the newborn in Klanovice forest, positioned east of Prague.

The lead investigator within the case mentioned that regardless of Kozak being a suspect, he was not being adopted. He added that officers have been ready on “ballistic check outcomes” regarding the killing. The nation police drive mentioned yesterday it was stepping up safety measures till 1 January.

Amongst these paying their respects to the useless on the college was the Czech president Petr Pavel. He mentioned: “Nobody can think about the worry and psychological pressure they went by yesterday. From the underside of my coronary heart, I wish to thank everybody for the honest condolences and phrases of assist, which come from all world wide.”