14 dead, over 20 injured after student opened fire at Prague university, authorities say

A student opened fire in a university building Thursday in downtown Prague, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 20 in the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting, authorities said. 

Police and the Czech Republic’s interior ministry confirmed earlier that the suspect, who has not been named, is dead. Martin Vondrasek, police chief for Prague, told reporters at a news briefing that the suspect suffered "devastating injuries," but did not specify whether his wounds were self-inflicted.

Police posted on X that they had no information to indicate the shooter was connected to a terrorist organization. Vondrasek said there was "nothing to suggest" he had an accomplice in the “well thought out" attack that injured at least 25 people, nine of them severely.

Vondrasek previously said 15 people had died and 24 were wounded. Authorities have warned the death toll could rise.

Officers sealed off Jan Palach Square in downtown Prague and evacuated the building housing the philosophy faculty of Charles University after shots were fired in the area.

The building faces a bridge across the Vltava River with a view of Prague Castle, the office of the Czech president. It is minutes away by foot from Old Town Square, a bustling tourist area with a Christmas market.

Vondrasek said police were investigating whether an elderly man who was killed earlier on Thursday in the nearby town of Hostoun was the father of the suspected shooter.

'A terrible act, unprecedented in the history of the Czech Republic'

Police said they responded to a tip they received earlier Thursday that the shooter had planned to attend a lecture at a different building in the same area. They cleared that area and did not locate the shooter. The man opened fire at a different location about an hour later.

Vondrasek said the suspect may also be linked to the shooting deaths of two "randomly chosen" victims in the Klanovicky Forest east of Prague last week. Investigators did not say if that led them to believe the two crimes were linked.

The Czech News Agency reported a man and his two-month-old daughter died in the incident. The shooter was a legal gun owner without a criminal past who appeared to have a large arsenal of weapons at home, Vondrasek added.

Authorities are still searching the area, including the building’s balconies, for possible explosives.

Czech Republic Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said there was no further danger to the public and no additional assailant found at the scene.

"A terrible act, unprecedented in the history of the Czech Republic, unfortunately claimed several lives," he wrote on X in Czech.

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Witness recalls crowd in frenzy

Ivo Havranek, 43, told Reuters that he initially thought the "couple of bangs" he heard might have come from loud tourists or a nearby movie set.

"Then suddenly there were students and teachers running out of the building. I went through the crowd not realizing what (was) actually going on," Havranek said. "I wasn't ready to admit that something like that could happen in Prague."

Once he saw police officers with automatic rifles, he said he knew it was serious.

"They shouted at me to run," Havranek said.

Pavel Nedoma, the director of a gallery located in the square, told Czech Republic public television he saw from a window a person shooting a gun toward the nearby Manes bridge across the Vltava River.

Leaders mourn Prague shooting victims

Prime Minister Petr Fiala canceled his scheduled events and headed to Prague, according to reports. He announced that Saturday will be a national day of mourning to commemorate the victims of Thursday’s tragedy and said flags will be lowered to half-mast.

Fiala also urged people to honor the victims with a minute of silence on Saturday. The last time the Czech Republic held a national day of mourning was in Feb. 2020 in honor of Jaroslav Kubera, president of the Czech Senate.

Czech Republic President Petr Pavel posted on X in Czech, "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."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sent a message of condolence.

"The president and the first lady are praying for the families who lost loved ones and everyone else who has been affected by this senseless act of violence," Jean-Pierre said. "On behalf of the United States, we send our condolences and also wish the survivors of this tragic event a speedy recovery."

Czech Republic gun laws

By European standards, gun laws in the Czech Republic are relatively lenient, the Washington Post reported last year, though still much more stringent than in the U.S. It allows people to carry concealed weapons for self-defense – but with certain prerequisites, including a background check, health clearance and rigorous test on safety legislation and the criminal code, the Post reported.

Before Thursday, the Czech Republic’s worst mass shooting was in 2015, when a gunman opened fire in the southeastern town of Uhersky Brod, killing eight before fatally shooting himself.

Contributing: Associated Press