On Thursday (Dec 21), a mass shooting at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, killed up to 14 people and injured more than two dozen more. According to authorities, the shooter was identified as 24-year-old history student David Kozak, who died during the attack. According to initial accounts, David Kozak lived in a village some 20 kilometres outside of Prague and was earning his master’s degree in Polish history at the same university. According to Police Chief Martin Vondrasek, Kozak had no past criminal record, but on the day of the shooting, he left his home for Prague, claiming “he wanted to kill himself.”
Kozak had planned the campus massacre using the messaging app Telegram
According to Vondrasek, the gunman had a “huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition.” Kozak is suspected of murdering his father before the shooting rampage. On December 15, he is also suspected of killing another guy and his two-month-old daughter in Prague. Vondrasek said the gunman was inspired by a “similar case that happened in Russia,” citing an investigation into the student’s social media habits. Kozak had planned the campus massacre using the messaging app Telegram, which he frequently used as a ‘diary’ to chronicle his life as well as his murderous ideas.
“I want to do school shooting and possibly suicide,” he wrote in a post, as per the Telegraph, adding, “I always wanted to kill. I thought I would become a maniac in the future.” The Czech police confirmed that Kozak shot and killed himself after the police started encircling him from all directions. There is shock and panic throughout the capital city, where such horrific crimes are uncommon. Around 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT), Kozak started fire from the fourth story of the university’s philosophy department building and went on a rampage. As he began a fire in the building’s classrooms and halls, students and faculty used furniture to block themselves into rooms. Thirteen of the fourteen victims have been identified. Two injured were from the United Arab Emirates, while one was from the Netherlands.
President Petr Pavel has asked people to be calm and has advised them not to use the tragedy to propagate misinformation or initiate political assaults. “Dear friends, please approach yesterday’s tragedy at [Charles University Faculty of Arts] with sensitivity and consideration,” Pavel told the crowd. The Czech government has declared Saturday a national day of mourning as investigators continue investigating the attack’s motivation.