2023 Prague shootings
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
| 2023 Prague shooting | |
|---|---|
 Faculty of Arts, Charles University in 2016 | |
  2023 Prague shootings (Prague city centre) | |
| Location | near Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic |
| Coordinates | 50°05′20″N 14°24′56″E / 50.089°N 14.4156°E |
| Date | 21 December 2023 c. 3:20 p.m. – (CET, UTC+1) |
Attack type | School shooting, mass shooting, mass murder, patricide |
| Deaths | 16+ (including the perpetrator and perpetrator’s father) |
| Injured | 30 |
On 21 December 2023, more than 16 people, including the perpetrator and his father,[1] were killed in a mass shooting at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University on Jan Palach Square in central Prague, Czech Republic.[2][3][4] Thirty more were injured, nine of them seriously. Police arrived and closed off a large area surrounding the scene of the shooting.[5][4] As police arrived, the gunman killed himself and the university building was evacuated.[6][4] Police reported that the perpetrator's father was found dead earlier in the day, before the shooting began.[1] The shooter used a long weapon with optics, possibly an AR-15 or AR-10-style rifle.[citation needed]
The Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan has stated that there were no other shooters, but has urged everyone to cooperate with police. Prime Minister Petr Fiala canceled his scheduled events in Olomouc and headed to Prague shortly after the shooting.[7][8] The Czech President Petr Pavel posted to X (formerly Twitter) his condolences to the family and friends of the victims and as well as his shock over the shooting.[9] Rakušan has said investigators do not suspect a link to extremism or other ideologies.[10]
According to Pavel Nedoma, director of the nearby Rudolfinum Gallery, a man was seen on a balcony firing toward the Mánes Bridge, over the Vltava River. Police later searched the square and balcony for explosives.[11] The New York Times reported that the shots came from the roof of the faculty of arts building of Charles University.[12]
The BBC reports that the perpetrator was a 24-year-old from a nearby village 24km (13mi) outside of Prague. It is thought that the shooter was inspired from other mass shootings abroad. [13]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Prague shooting: Gunman kills at least 15 people at Charles university". The Independent. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Prague shooting: Several dead and dozens injured in university shooting". BBC. 21 December 2023. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Laca, Peter (21 December 2023). "Several Dead, Wounded in Prague University Shooting, Police Say". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ a b c Nohl, Radek; Svihel, Petr. "Po střelbě na Filozofické fakultě je deset mrtvých, další jsou vážně zranění". Seznamzpravy. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "10 dead and others wounded in shooting at Prague university, emergency services say". CNN. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Czech police say people have been killed in a shooting in downtown Prague". Houston Chronicle. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "10 people are killed in a mass shooting in downtown Prague". NPR. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Higgins, Andrew; Gross, Jenny (21 December 2023). "10 People Killed in Shooting at University in Prague". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "At least 15 dead in Prague university shooting". France 24. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "At least 15 people are dead after a mass shooting at a Prague university, police chief says". AP News. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Police: At least 15 people are dead afte mass shooting in Prague". ny1.com. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Higgins, Andrew; Gross, Jenny (21 December 2023). "10 People Killed in Shooting at University in Prague". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Prague shooting: Gunman at Prague university who killed 15 was student - police". BBC News. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
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