Czech police: Prague university shooter shot himself after being cornered on roof
Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Authorities in the Czech Republic on Friday said the gunman responsible for the country's deadliest mass shooting in which 14 people were killed and 25 wounded, shot himself as police closed in on the roof of Prague's Charles University.
At a press briefing, police said they saw piles of ammunition in corridors and played bodycam footage to fend off criticism their response was inadequate and too much time elapsed between the first emergency call and officers entering the arts building where 24-year-old David Kozak was firing at students and faculty members on the fourth floor.
"There were four minutes between the first call and the first officers stepping into the building," said Prague Police director Martin Vondrasek who confirmed the department's evidence pointed Kozak also being responsible for the murder of a man and his daughter in Klanovicky forest, 20 miles west of the capital.
"You should understand that it was an active situation" and that there were many bystanders whom police were afraid of harming, Vondrasek said. "It would be unfortunate if police used a gun and if there was an accident, and people were killed or injured as a result of that accident."
Authorities said they were now focussing on copycat threats, including those emanating from social media after Telegram messages emerged from a David Kosak praising the shooting of two students in Bryansk earlier this month. Police are still investigating the origin of the posts.
"We will try and distinguish between inane threats and real threats," Vondrasek said.
Prague rescue service officials said the 14 people killed, who now had been identified, are all Czech, and the 25 injured -- who include one Durch national and two from the United Arab Emirates -- were all in stable condition in hospital.
Saturday has been declared a day of national mourning by Czech President Petr Pavel who appealed for unity.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who visited the scene later Friday laying flowers outside the university's main building, condemned the violence as senseless and brutal saying he canceled all his official engagements out of respect to the victims.
