First Prague shooting victim named as more than a dozen people killed in Charles University massacre
The first victim of a mass shooting in central Prague has been named, with 14 people killed by a gunman who opened fire at the prestigious Charles University.
Among those killed was Lenka Hlavkova, the head of the Institute of Musicology at the university’s Faculty of Arts, gunned down on Thursday afternoon by student David Kozak.
“We express our deepest condolences to all the bereaved, especially to the family,” a faculty spokesperson said. “It’s extremely cruel news for all of us. Let’s stay supporting each other,” they said.
During the gun rampage, 14 people were killed by the gunman before he then took his own life after realising he was surrounded by armed police.
Identified as a 24-year-old student, Kozak had been studying for a masters degree in world history at the university and had no previous criminal record.
Police were alerted to the unfolding scenario at 12.26pm after a woman informed them that she had received a suicidal text message from her friend, and that he was no longer answering his phone.
After officers arrived at a property in Houston, they discovered his father’s body and a number of weapons and it was established that Kozak was travelling to Prague to attend a lecture at 2pm.
A national search was declared at 1.15pm, and at 2.22pm, a building at the university was evacuated by armed police. However, just half an hour later, they received reports that gunshots had been fired at the nearby Jan Palach Square.
Over the course of 20 minutes, 13 people were killed with 25 others injured, including three foreign nationals - one from the Netherlands and two from the UAE.
Students were forced to barricade themselves into classrooms while others climbed out on window ledges and balanced precariously in a bid to save their lives.
After being cornered on the roof, Kozak inflicted “devastating injuries” upon himself, with police stating that they had no evidence to suggest he had any accomplices.
Since the spring, Kozak had accrued an armoury of seven, legally registered weapons, including a submachine gun, a shotgun and an automatic pistol.
It has since emerged that he is believed to be responsible for the murders of a 32-year-old man and his two-month-old baby daughter last week. The two were killed in a woodland area in the Klanovicky forest, with Kovak narrowed down onto the list of suspects.
