Graz college taking pictures newest: Multiple folks killed after gunman opens hearth at Austrian school
The death toll has risen to ten after a school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz, according to the mayor.
Seven students and one adult were among those killed, Mayor Elke Kahr confirmed to local media. She added that the shooter was also dead.
Local newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported that now 10 people have been killed. The newspaper reported that 28 people had been taken to hospital, and four of those patients had been rushed there in an extremely critical condition.
Austrian police confirmed that a major operation was underway in the city on Tuesday morning at the secondary school campus on Dreierschuetzengasse. The operation began at 10am after gunshots were heard inside the school, police said.
The Sytrian state police also confirmed they believed there was only one shooter involved.
The building is currently being searched by authorities and the public have been warned to avoid the area.
Austrian chancellor says shooting has ‘shaken our entire country’
Austrian chancellor Christian Stoker says his thoughts were with the families and parents who have lost a child in the shooting.
“The school shooting in Graz is a national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country,” he said in a statement.
“Through this incomprehensible act, young people have been torn from the lives they still had ahead of them. There are no words to express the pain and grief that everyone across Austria is feeling right now.”
Watch: Mother describes panicked phone call from son about Graz school shooting
Austria’s foreign affairs minister shaken by the shooting
Austria’s foreign affairs minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said she was deeply shaken by the shooting.
“The reports of the rampage in Graz deeply shake me. It is incomprehensible and unbearable,” she wrote on X.
“My sympathy and sorrow are with the victims and their families. No one can imagine the suffering; as a mother of three children, it tears my heart apart.”
State governor says shooting is ‘unbelievable’
Styrian governor Mario Kunasek has expressed his horror after the shooting in the state’s capital of Graz.
“It’s unbelievable what happened in Graz today. As the governor of Styria and as a father, I am deeply affected by this madness that has brought so much misfortune and unbelievable suffering. My thoughts are with the innocent victims, families and teachers,” he said in a translated post on Instagram.
Death toll rises to ten: Reports
Local media now reports the death toll has risen to 10.
Earlier, Kronen Zeitung reported that four people were in an extremely critical condition, including some with gunshot wounds to the head.
Shooting comes 10 years after last mass attack in Graz
The school shooting comes nearly 10 years to the day of Graz’s last mass attack.
At one point in that attack, the perpetrator jumped out of the vehicle and stabbed two people before driving to a police station where he was arrested.
Alen Rizvanoic was sentenced to live in prison over the attack in 2016. He died by suicide in 2023.
Reports the shooter was a former student
Austrian media is reporting the lone shooter was a 22-year-old former student of the Graz school that was attacked this morning.
Salzburger Nachrichten reported that initial information suggested the gunman had a pistol and a shotgun, allegedly both legally owned.
Those reports are unconfirmed by police at this stage.
Vienna’s mayor ‘deeply shocked’ by shooting
Vienna’s mayor, Michael Ludwig, said he was “deeply shocked” to learn of the shooting.
“My deepest condolences go to the victims, their families, and all those who are now experiencing immeasurable suffering,” He said in a translated post on X.
“It is precisely in such moments that we as a society must stand together. Hate and violence must never gain the upper hand. Our response to this must be an even stronger commitment to unity and respect.”
Dozens injured, many critical according to reports
Twenty-eight people have been rushed to hospital following the shooting, and several are in a critical condition following the shooting.
Kronen Zeitung reports that some of the victims have suffered gunshot wounds to the head.
According to that newspaper, there were 158 paramedics on site and 31 crisis intervention staff.
Police say only one perpetrator involved
Styrian state police said they believed only one perpetrator was involved in the shooting.
“Currently, it is assumed that there is one perpetrator. Situation secured – no danger,” the police said on X.
The Styrian police said students and their parents were being supported by the crisis intervention team.
Source: independent.co.uk
