Prague killer now suspected of killing a father and little one final week

The gunman who unleashed terror on Prague is now suspected of capturing useless a person and his toddler daughter in a forest close to the Czech capital final week, police have revealed.

David Kozak, 24, killed 14 folks and injured 25 throughout a rampage through which he focused college students at his college in downtown Prague, police stated, including that he was shot useless after finishing up the horrific assault.

Kozak murdered his father within the city of Hostoun earlier than making the two-hour journey into the Czech capital the place he started randomly capturing folks from the balcony of Charles University Arts college.

In the lead as much as his killing spree, he’s thought to have saved a diary in Russian on messaging app Telegram, writing in a single chilling put up: ‘I wish to do a faculty capturing and presumably suicide.’

Now it has emerged that police are investigating whether or not Kozak might have killed a father and daughter at random in a capturing in Klanovicky les, close to Prague. Hundreds of police combed the wooded space after the perpetrator disappeared, and authorities are presently probing whether or not the 2 killing sprees might be linked.

Thursday’s bloodbath is the Czech Republic’s worst ever mass capturing, and the gunman is believed to have been impressed by a faculty capturing carried out by 14-year-old schoolgirl in Russia earlier this month.

‘I wish to do faculty capturing and presumably suicide, Alina Afanaskina helped me an excessive amount of,’ he allegedly wrote on December 10 of the Bryansk faculty shooter, who killed two college students earlier than taking her personal life. 

The chilling put up in what he known as his ‘diary’ about life earlier than the Prague capturing went on: ‘I all the time needed to kill, I believed I’d change into a maniac sooner or later.’ 

Horrific scenes unfolded on the historic Charles University campus on Thursday, with footage displaying the gunman wearing black aiming a rifle at folks beneath whereas standing on high of the celebrated school’s Faculty of Arts constructing.

Terrified college students and vacationers had been seen fleeing whereas others crouched beneath a window ledge on the excessive constructing as gunshots rang out in what’s one in all Europe’s high vacationer hotspots. Reports have advised that one particular person died after falling from a constructing as they took cowl.

There are fears that vacationers might be amongst these killed or the 25 injured in right this moment’s capturing, with police working to determine the victims and saying they may contact embassies with updates within the occasion of international nationals being affected within the atrocity.

Elite cops had been seen storming the philosophy division constructing of Charles University, the place the gunman was a pupil, with police saying the gunman had been ‘eradicated’ at 4pm – an hour after the lethal carnage started.

Police stated the gunman’s physique had been discovered within the space and advised he had taken his personal life when cops closed in on him – although cops did say they’d fired at him. 

‘Due to the devastating harm sustained by the suspect, we’re unable to substantiate his identification,’ police spokesman Martin Vondráček stated. ‘From the knowledge obtainable to me, there ought to have been a suicide, nevertheless, the police additionally used a service weapon.’ 

He added that the demise toll may have been a lot larger: ‘There was a big amount of ammunition and if the police hadn’t entered the constructing in time, the perpetrator would not have been useless on the roof and there would have been much more victims.’ 

Dramatic video confirmed terrified crowds of vacationers and locals sprinting throughout the well-known Charles Bridge – one in all Europe’s high vacationer websites – after they heard the sickening sound of gunshots within the metropolis.

The gunman fired at his victims one after the other from the highest of the college constructing – two hours after he’s stated to have murdered his father within the city of Hostoun. 

In separate footage, folks had been seen operating with their palms raised within the air from the celebrated University’s Faculty of Arts constructing within the capital, as armed cops swooped in. 

The capturing began at 3pm and police stated the gunman was ‘eradicated’ at 4pm after elite cops had been seen storming the constructing. At least 14 folks had been killed within the capturing and greater than 20 had been injured – 11 critically, Prague’s emergency companies stated. 

Other extraordinary photographs present terrified college students cowering on a ledge excessive up on a balcony in a bid to cover from the gunman after others had been instructed to barricade themselves in lecture rooms. 

British vacationer Joe Hyland, who was on his first vacation overseas together with his group of associates, stated they had been nervous there may have been a number of attackers, and rushed to textual content their family members in case the worst occurred.

‘As we received onto the tube and we do not know what number of attackers there are and we do not know what the attackers are, so it the tube the very best place or the worst place to go? So we determined to ring our mother and father to say we liked them and name our associates,’ he instructed the BBC.

Speaking from Prague, his buddy added: ‘It’s our first vacation as us boys. When one thing like that occurs you name you family members as a result of you do not know within the confusion if you’re going to have the ability to converse to them.’

A school member of the college, Zora Hesova, stated folks had been locked in lecture rooms contained in the constructing as armed cops descended on the scene. 

Police later stated they killed the gunman after they stormed the constructing and have evacuated everybody who was trapped inside.

‘The gunman was eradicated!!!’ police stated on X, previously Twitter. ‘The constructing is presently being evacuated and there are a number of useless and dozens of wounded folks on the scene.’ 

Extraordinary photographs present the gunman, who was wearing black, standing on the roof of the college constructing and pointing his rifle with a scope mounted on high at folks down beneath. 

Petr Nedoma, the director of the Rudolfinum – a live performance corridor on the sq. throughout from the Faculty of Arts – instructed Czech broadcaster CT24: ‘Upstairs on the walkway of the Faculty of Arts, I noticed a person standing with a gun in his hand and capturing in the direction of the Mánes bridge with sure delays. 

‘I watched what was occurring from contained in the Rudolfinum for a very long time. I stayed within the constructing and was by the home windows for as a lot cowl as attainable.’

Nedoma added: ‘Then he put his palms up and threw the gun in the direction of the highway, it remained mendacity by the philosophy college. Then lots of people appeared upstairs, I do not know if it was the police. 

‘I left the window and watched the police evacuate folks from the Faculty of Philosophy, taking them away with their palms behind their heads in several instructions, numerous automobiles, folks operating round.’ 

Terrified academics and college students on the Charles University Faculty of Arts had been instructed to lock themselves in lecture rooms earlier than they had been evacuated.

Klara, a pupil, instructed information website iDnes.cz  she was amongst those that police evacuated from the constructing.

‘It was terribly scary, there have been a number of policemen in every single place, who had been shouting at us with submachine weapons, telling us to run exterior,’ she stated.

An e-mail despatched to employees and college students on the Faculty of Arts of Charles University had stated a shooter was in one in all its buildings and had instructed employees to ‘keep put’.

‘Don’t go anyplace, in case you’re within the workplaces, lock them and place furnishings in entrance of the door, flip off the lights,’ the e-mail stated. 

One pupil, Deda Mrazek, stated she was within the college’s library when the gunman started capturing at his victims. 

Sharing an image of scholars hiding behind a pc lab, Deda wrote: ‘I’m OK. I used to be within the library on the time of the capturing. 

‘They despatched us to the again of the pc lab the place there aren’t any home windows. Word has now unfold that the gunman is useless.’ 

She stated as quickly as they heard the gunman had been killed, the terrified college students all known as their households to say that they had been secure. 

The authorities stated they may maintain an emergency cupboard assembly to debate the capturing at 9pm. 

The police have sealed off the sq. and the realm adjoining to the college constructing, which is situated in a busy a part of city that has a well-liked road main vacationers to Old Town Square 

‘According to preliminary info, the shooter himself must be useless, there are useless and wounded on website, I cannot speculate now in regards to the closing quantity,’ Interior Minister Vit Rakusan stated on Czech Television.

Rakusan added ‘no different gunman has been confirmed’ and known as on folks to observe police directions. 

Police within the Czech Republic’s capital have urged residents to shelter inside and keep away from the realm as a result of capturing. 

President Petr Pavel tweeted: ‘I’m shocked by the occasions on the Faculty of Arts of Charles University.

‘I want to specific my deep remorse and honest condolences to the households and relations of the victims that the capturing claimed. 

‘I wish to thank the residents for respecting the directions of the safety forces and offering most cooperation.’

The British Embassy in Prague has urged folks within the metropolis, a hotspot for vacationers, to keep away from the across the Charles University and the Faculty of Arts. 

Prime Minister Petr Fiala cancelled his journey to the east of the nation and was en path to Prague, he stated on X.

Gun crime is comparatively uncommon within the Czech Republic. In December 2019, a 42-year-old gunman killed six folks at a hospital ready room within the japanese Czech metropolis of Ostrava earlier than fleeing and fatally capturing himself, police stated.

In 2015, a person fatally shot eight folks after which killed himself at a restaurant in Uhersky Brod.