At least 15 people were killed and 24 were seriously injured in one of the worst mass shooting incidents at a university in Prague, Reuters reported on Thursday citing police and emergency services. Czech police responded to the shooting at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts building in Jan Palach Square shortly after 3 pm (local time). The police said the father of the shooter was found dead earlier in the day.
An armed man opened fire in the philosophy department building of Charles University, where the shooter was a student, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek said. The police did not share any details about the victims or a possible motive for the shooting at the building located near the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square.
Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said investigators did not suspect a link to any extremist ideology or groups.
“We witnessed a tragedy of unprecedented proportions,” said Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda. “It is appalling how many innocent lives have been wasted. My deepest condolences to all the bereaved. We must not give way to evil!”
Johnny, a social media user, shared a video in which students can be seen jumping out of windows to escape the gunman.
