A mass shooting at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, left at least fifteen dead and at least 24 others injured Thursday.
The shooter opened fire from the roof of the faculty of arts building around 3:40 p.m. local time, BBC News reported. Czech police said the shooter has been “eliminated,” appearing to have fallen from the roof after opening fire on Jan Palach Square, according to The New York Times.
The Prague region’s governor, Bohuslav Svoboda, said the gunman has yet to be identified, according to The New York Times. Police said the father of the shooter was found dead earlier Thursday, Reuters reported.
Footage showed some students hiding on the ledge of the university’s roof as several law enforcement vehicles arrived at the scene. Others can be seen rushing away to evacuate.
Some students saved themselves by hiding on the windowsill of the University roof. Unfortunately, deaths and numerous injuries have been confirmed. https://t.co/PTvJr2Kp6y pic.twitter.com/10C1msHncm
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) December 21, 2023
Separate footage showed a crowd of people rushing away from the location. Several gunshots are heard setting off from the roof.
BREAKING: Reports of a shooting at Charles University in #Prague , Czech Republic have surfaced, with the police confirming numerous fatalities & dozens of injuries ! pic.twitter.com/jRGYp2c4UC
— Ashwini Shrivastava (@AshwiniSahaya) December 21, 2023
One individual told Czech TV he saw the shooter holding what appeared to be an automatic weapon, according to Reuters.
“I saw a young person on the gallery who had some weapon in his hand, like and automatic weapon, and shooting toward the Manes Bridge. Repeatedly, with some interruptions, then I saw as he shot, put hands up and threw the weapon down on the street, it lay there on the pedestrian crossing,” he said.
Czech President Petr Pavel said he is “shocked” by the mass shooting and expressed his condolences to anyone affected by the violent event.
“I am shocked by the events at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University. I would like to express my deep regret and sincere condolences to the families and relatives of the victims that the shooting claimed. I want to thank the citizens for respecting the instructions of the security forces and providing maximum cooperation,” Pavel wrote on Twitter.
Jsem šokován událostmi na Filozofické fakultě Univerzity Karlovy. Chtěl bych vyjádřit hlubokou lítost a upřímnou soustrast rodinám a příbuzným obětí, které si střelba vyžádala. Chci poděkovat občanům, že respektují pokyny bezpečnostních složek a poskytují maximální součinnost.
— Petr Pavel (@prezidentpavel) December 21, 2023
“We always thought that this was a thing that did not concern us. Now it turns out that, unfortunately, our world is also changing and the problem of the individual shooter is emerging here as well,” Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda told Czech Television.
One 18-year-old witness told BBC News that he and his friends were on vacation in Prague and “ran for cover” after they heard several gunshots. He safely returned to his hotel room following the incident. (RELATED: At Least 19 Students, Two Teachers Dead After Shooting At Texas Elementary School)
“We heard gunshots and ran for cover in the metro after police shouted at everyone to run. It was very frightening. All of a sudden people started running. We didn’t know what was going on. We saw police going past us. They were shouting ‘run,'” Joe Hyland said.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
