Moment armed police storm Prague college after capturing captured in bodycam footage
The gunman behind the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass capturing has been recognized.
David Kozak, 24, opened hearth at Charles University in Prague on Thursday afternoon, killing at the least 14 folks and injuring greater than 20.
The gunman, a historical past scholar on the college, began the capturing on the fourth ground of the constructing with legally owned weapons. Crowds of individuals fled for his or her lives as panic took over the nation’s capital.
Kozak is believed to have killed his personal father earlier than finishing up the college bloodbath. He’s additionally suspected of killing a person and his 4 -month-old daughter in Prague per week in the past, the town’s police chief Martin Vondrasek has stated.
Czech authorities are additionally probing the potential connection between Kozak and a collection of Russian-language messages posted on Telegram.
One of the messages indicated that the assault could have been influenced by two earlier mass shootings in Russia—one this month at a college in Bryansk close to the Ukraine border, and the opposite in 2021 in Kazan.
Gunman named
The gunman who killed 14 folks after opening hearth at Charles University in Prague has been named as David Kozak.
The 24-year-old opened hearth from the fourth ground of the philosophy division constructing of Charles University, the place the gunman was a scholar, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek stated.
Kozak can be believed by police to have killed his father earlier than the assault on Thursday. He’s additionally suspected within the killing of one other man and his two-month-old daughter on December 15 in Prague.
He was described as a superb scholar with no prison document.
Alex Ross22 December 2023 08:55
Witness account from man who was shot at
Jiri Forman, a Czech journalist, witnessed yesterday’s assault at Charles University.
The reporter bravely shouted on the gunman from Jan Palach Square in an try and cease him from capturing at college students and filmed the incident.
“Hey, you f****r, here I am, shoot here!” He screamed.
Asked by an officer what was he doing, Forman is heard within the footage shouting: “So that he doesn’t shoot at the people! What do you think I’m am I doing, man? There are people there!”
His actions have received him plaudits in Czech media, however Forman performed down ideas he was a hero.
“Where I stood it was absolutely safe, nobody was there and I knew I could duck behind an obstacle,” he instructed Reuters on Friday.
“And if he shoots in my direction, he won’t have the people fleeing, they will have a chance to reach cover. I screamed at him and he started shooting in my direction.”
“The policeman I believe shot three times at the attacker. I think this threw him off balance. Then he also hears that police are getting close from inside, so he shot himself,” Mr Forman stated.
He added: “I did things I believed were right, and unfortunately, the sad heroes are the relatives who lost their closest ones at this Christmas time, and policemen and rescue services.”
Athena Stavrou22 December 2023 21:02
Where did the capturing happen?
Lone gunman David Kozak shot 14 folks lifeless at Charles University in Prague on Thursday.
The assault occurred within the Faculty of Arts constructing in Jan Palach Square within the metropolis centre, simply an eight-minute stroll from Prague’s busy Christmas market.
Earlier within the day, a good friend of Kozak’s had alerted police to a message she had obtained from him threatening to commit suicide. Officers then found Kozak’s father lifeless in his house and put out a search warrant for the 24-year-old.
Having decided he was going to Prague, police evacuated one other Charles University constructing he was because of attend a lecture in at 2pm.
Shortly after, the capturing started within the Faculty of Arts.
Athena Stavrou22 December 2023 20:22
Watch: Mourners lay tributes at Prague college after at the least 14 killed in mass capturing
At the Charles University headquarters, crowds that included Prime Minister Petr Fiala and US Ambassador Bijan Sabet paid tribute to the victims. Some knelt to gentle candles and lay flowers whereas others stood crying and hugging one another.
Charles University cancelled all lectures and occasions on Friday a day after the capturing within the central European nation of 10.9 million the place over 300,000 folks personal weapons however mass shootings are uncommon.
“We are here to show our support as fellow students,” stated Czech scholar Daniel Broz.
“I was on the other side of the river and hearing gunshots, pops and not knowing what is going on and then a flurry of police cars passing by was absolutely surreal especially as a Czech who has never witnessed an event similar to this before.”
Mourners lay tributes at Prague college after at the least 14 killed in mass capturing
Athena Stavrou22 December 2023 20:07
Piles of ammunition and barricaded school rooms: Police reveal how Prague mass capturing unfolded
As Prague mourns its lifeless and tries to recuperate from the deadliest mass capturing within the Czech Republic’s historical past, police 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.
As extra data is revealed about yesterday’s horrific mass capturing in central Prague, Alex Ross takes a better take a look at how the incident unfolded in keeping with authorities:
Read the complete report under:
Athena Stavrou22 December 2023 19:12
Czech Police arrest man ‘inspired’ by capturing
Czech Police stated that they had arrested a person who had stated he was ‘inspired’ by yesterday’s capturing and needed to purchase a gun.
The pressure shared a video of officers arresting the person quickly after the decision was made and he was recognized.
In a separate put up on X, they stated that they had been made conscious of a number of circumstances of people that had been allegedly impressed by the incident in Prague yesterday.
Athena Stavrou22 December 2023 18:41
How did the shooter personal weapons?
Before capturing 14 folks lifeless at a college constructing in central Prague, David Kozak had no prison document. He did, nevertheless, personal a number of weapons.
The 24-year-old had a proclivity for firearms, with a license to personal eight weapons, together with two lengthy weapons, police stated.
Police chief Tomas Vondrasek stated officers discovered an arsenal of weapons with a number of ammunition that the suspect needed to carry unnoticed to the college constructing earlier than opening hearth.
In 2021, the Czech Parliament amended the Constitution’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms to present folks a proper to defend themselves or others with a gun. That transfer, adopted after greater than 100,000 folks signed a petition in help, implies that the proper can’t be restricted by a separate legislation.
In the nation of 10.9 million, 314,000 folks had a gun license by the tip of final 12 months and owned virtually 1,000,000 numerous weapons.
To get a license, folks must be a Czech resident, be older than 21 (that doesn’t apply for sports activities and looking), be in good well being, mentally accountable, dependable and and not using a prison document.
Written and sensible assessments, together with capturing at a goal, are additionally a part of the process.But as soon as an individual meets all the necessities, the authorities who preserve the data don’t want to tell police in regards to the numbers of weapons folks have, Ales Strach, a senior Prague police officer stated Friday.
Athena Stavrou22 December 2023 17:59
Students pay respects exterior University constructing
Political leaders, college students, associates of the victims and others got here collectively right this moment to gentle candles throughout an impromptu vigil for the victims of a mass capturing at a University in Prague.
“A few of my friends study at the philosophy faculty at Charles University,” stated Kristof Unger, a scholar who attended the vigil. “They have been really traumatized by the shooting there and I just wanted to make them feel a little bit better.”
“We are here to show our support as fellow students,” stated Czech scholar Daniel Broz.
“I was on the other side of the river and hearing gunshots, pops and not knowing what is going on and then a flurry of police cars passing by was absolutely surreal especially as a Czech who has never witnessed an event similar to this before.”
Robert Hanus, one other of the vigil’s attendees, stated everybody ought to come collectively to take a stand towards the assault. “This shouldn’t be normalized,” he stated.The college’s rector, Milena Kralickova, was additionally among the many throngs lighting candles. “The academic community is shaken, deeply shaken,” she stated.
Athena Stavrou22 December 2023 17:06
Police match weapon at suspect’s home to at least one utilized in forest killings
Czech Police have matched a weapon discovered on the University gunman’s home to at least one used within the killing of two folks in a forest final week.
Detectives had been engaged on the speculation that the killer was answerable for the deaths of a father and his four-month-old daughter final week within the Klanovicky forest close to Prague. They consider he selected his victims at random.
Now, authorities confirmed {that a} weapon utilized in that incident had been matched to at least one within the house of the person, named extensively as David Kozak, who shot 14 folks lifeless yesterday.
A translation of a Czech Police assertion learn: “Ballistics expertise has shown a MATCH of the weapon that was used in Klánovický les with the weapon that was found in the house where the shooter from the university lived.”
Athena Stavrou22 December 2023 16:30
Timeline of occasions
The Czech Police have launched a timeline of occasions.
Gunman David Kozak killed 14 folks within the area of 20 minutes when he opened hearth at a college campus in Prague.
- 12:26: Kozak’s good friend informs police that she had obtained a suicidal textual content message from him, and that he was not answering his cellphone.
- 12:47: Police discover Kozak’s father lifeless at his house.
- 13:15: Police introduced a nationwide seek for Kozak as a suspect.
- 13:49: Police consider Kozak is heading for one of many college campus’ in Prague.
- 14:22: Police began an evacuation of 1 campus.
- 14:59: Shooting begins on the college constructing in Jan Palach Square and cops arrive minutes later.
- 15:11: Kozak is noticed on the roof with a gun.
- 15:20: Kozak shoots himself together with his gun whereas being approached by police.
Athena Stavrou22 December 2023 16:05
Source: www.impartial.co.uk