Prague Suspect Murdered His Father Prior To Mass Shooting

Prior to the mass shooting at Charles University in Prague, the suspect, a 24-year-old student at the school, reportedly killed his father.

As we reported, 15 people were killed in the mass shooting, leaving 30 others injured. The suspect's body was found in the university’s philosophy building, according to officials.

Disturbing videos of the incident have been shared on social media, including one of the students hiding multiple stories about the ground on a ledge of the school.

Warning: The videos in this article are graphic. Viewer discretion is advised. 

https://twitter.com/Morbidful/status/1737866363786362894

The suspect’s father was found dead in a village 13 miles from the Czech capital earlier on Thursday. Police suspect he killed his father before he opened fire on the university.

According to eyewitnesses, a man shot multiple people in the philosophy department building on Thursday, killing at least 15 people. Police have confirmed this to be one of the Czech Republic’s worst mass shootings of its kind. The last mass shooting was in 2019, where seven people were killed by a gunman, who later took his own life in an Ostrava hospital.

The suspect of the Prague mass shooting has not been named publicly but has been identified as a 24-year-old student.

https://twitter.com/jakobweizman/status/1737849335386452138

One student shared a photo from inside the classroom, as they locked and boarded up the door for safety. "Locked the door before the shooter tried to open it," the student wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Katerina Vodvarkova, a foreign news reporter at TV Nova, was near the university when the mass shooting occurred.

“Personally, I never experienced anything like this in Prague. I watched students being evacuated and I had tears in my eyes that they had to witness this,” she told BBC, adding, “This is the busiest season for Prague, where we have our most famous Christmas market. It breaks my heart that visitors have to witness this.”

Another bystander shared a video of the incident unfolding, writing, "Shooting in Prague. Another Telegram video from one of the onlookers where the shooter is captured."

https://twitter.com/peacemaket71/status/1737908309519130952

Petr Nedoma, director of the Rudolfinum Gallery at a concert hall across Palach Square, told Czech TV he saw the shooter. “I saw a young person in the gallery who had some weapon in his hand, like an automatic weapon, and shooting toward the Manes Bridge. Repeatedly, with some interruptions, then I saw as he shot, put hands up and threw the weapon down on the street, it lay there on the pedestrian crossing,” he said.

https://twitter.com/_inverse_square/status/1737849547592970713

In one video, gunshots can be heard as police rush down the streets to the scene of the crime. "Shooting in Prague. Gunshots audible in this video," the user wrote alongside the video.

At this time, 15 people are confirmed to be dead, with 30 more injured. Up to 200 students were moved to safety. Authorities said the shooting was not linked to international terrorism.

A motive is still under investigation. The Blast will continue to report on any updates surrounding the unfortunate events that occurred in Prague on Thursday.