KLIK SAJA - Ten people have been killed in a mass shooting at Dreierschützengasse Secondary School in Graz, Austria, marking the deadliest gun attack in the country’s modern history.
Police confirmed the shooter, a 21-year-old former student of the school, took his own life in a school bathroom shortly after the attack.
This incident has deeply shocked Austria, a country where such violent acts are exceedingly rare.
According to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, six female and three male victims died at the scene. Police later reported that twelve others were injured, some of them seriously.
On Tuesday evening, local media reported that one of the injured, a female victim, had succumbed to her wounds in hospital, raising the death toll to ten.
The attacker, whose identity has not been made public, was a former student who did not graduate from Dreierschützengasse, Karner stated in a Tuesday afternoon press conference.
He acknowledged widespread speculation about the case but stressed that it is now the responsibility of criminal investigators to uncover the facts.
Police said the gunman’s motive remains under investigation and confirmed that he had no prior criminal record or known interactions with law enforcement.
Preliminary findings indicate that the shooter legally owned the two firearms used in the attack and possessed a valid gun license. Local media reported the weapons were a pistol and a shotgun.
Authorities stated the shooter, a man from the greater Graz area, acted alone.
Three Days of National Mourning Declared
The Austrian government has declared three days of national mourning. A nationwide minute of silence will be observed on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. local time to honor the victims.
Flags at Hofburg Palace in Vienna—where President Alexander Van der Bellen’s office is located—will be flown at half-mast.
The school will remain closed until further notice, according to Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr.
