GRAZ, AUSTRIA: A 21-year-old former pupil shot and killed nine people at a secondary school in the southern Austrian city of Graz on Tuesday, then took his own life in what authorities are calling the worst school shooting in Austria’s modern history.
Austrian media later reported that a tenth victim died in the hospital from her wounds, although authorities have not yet confirmed this.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the shooter killed six female and three male victims and injured 12 others. While he provided no further details, Austrian media reported that most of the victims were students.
Police said they believe the shooter acted alone when he entered the school with two firearms and opened fire. Officers later found him dead in a bathroom. Authorities have not yet identified a motive.
“The rampage at a school in Graz is a national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country,” said Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. “This is a dark day in the history of our country. There are no words for the pain and grief that we all – all of Austria – are feeling right now.”
Stocker traveled to Graz and joined other officials, including Minister Karner, at a press conference. There, he declared three days of national mourning and announced that the country would observe a minute of silence at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Wednesday.
Police searching the shooter’s home reportedly found a farewell note, according to the Austrian newspaper Kronen-Zeitung. Authorities have not disclosed the contents of the note and declined immediate comment.
The attack has shocked Austria, a peaceful nation that rarely experiences violence on this scale. Graz, the country’s second-largest city, had never witnessed an event of this magnitude.
More than 300 police officers responded after people heard gunshots around 10 a.m. at the school, which serves students aged 15 and older. Emergency responders arrived within minutes and secured the area. Authorities said they are providing care to victims’ families and students.
The newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten reported, though unconfirmed, that the shooter had previously been bullied at the school. It also stated that he targeted two classrooms—one of which he had once attended.–Reuters
