Europe

Prague university gunman appears to confess to earlier killings of baby and her father

Student (24) who killed 14 people and injured more than 20 at Charles University last week left letter in his home containing apparent confession

TOPSHOT - An elderly woman looks on the candles placed on the stairs of the building of the Philosophical Faculty of the Charles University in central Prague, on December 24, 2023. A 24-year-old student opened fire at the Faculty of Arts on December 21, 2023, killing 13 people and then himself. Another person died in hospital later on. (Photo by Michal Cizek / AFP) (Photo by MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images)

Ashifa Kassam
Thu Dec 28 2023 - 17:25

The gunman who killed 14 people at a university in Prague appears to have also confessed to killing a two-month-old baby and her father days before the mass shooting, police in the Czech Republic have said.

Last week the 24-year-old student, named by local media as David Kozák, opened fire inside Charles University in the heart of historic Prague, killing 14 people and injuring more than 20.

At the time, the city’s police chief, Martin Vondrášek, described the mass shooting as “well thought-out, a horrible act” and said the suspect was also believed to have killed his father before the rampage.

[ ‘There was just disbelief’: Irish lecturer at Prague university describes fear and confusion as shooting unfolded ]

On Thursday, police said they had found a letter at Kozák’s home in the village of Hostouň, near Prague, in which he appeared to confess to the earlier killing of an infant and her father in a forest on the eastern outskirts of the capital city.

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“I can confirm that we found a letter in Hostouň in which the university shooter confessed to the murder in the Klánovický forest,” Jan Daněk, a spokesperson for the Czech police, said in an email to the Guardian. Daněk did not provide further details.

Kozák, who police said killed himself as police closed in on him, is now believed to be responsible for the murders of 17 people. “Everything points to that,” said Daněk.

The house where police believe a gunman killed his father before the mass shooting at a Prague university building on December 23rd. Photograph: Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images

Authorities had earlier identified Kozák as a potential suspect in the forest killings after the 32-year-old father and his baby daughter were found dead with gunshot wounds in mid-December.

Last week, police said they had evidence that appeared to link Kozák to the double murder. “A ballistic analysis proved the gun used in the ... forest was IDENTICAL to a gun found at the university gunman’s home,” police said on X.

The Czech police have not released any possible motive for the killings, saying the investigation is ongoing.

The hunt for a motive comes as the Czech Republic continues to reel from what is believed to be the worst mass shooting in the country’s history.

Among those killed during the 20-minute rampage were students including an aspiring journalist and national athlete, as well as two teachers. The attack sowed chaos and fear across the campus, sending students and professors fleeing across the halls and on to a high ledge of the building, as others frantically barricaded themselves into classrooms.

With many people still traumatised by the attack, the country’s interior minister said he had urged municipalities to shelve their plans for New Year’s Eve fireworks.

“A few days ago, we experienced two acts of violence involving shootings. The least we can do for those who have been painfully affected by these events is not to increase their nervousness nor deepen the trauma left by the violence,” Vít Rakušan wrote on social media on Wednesday.

“Let us wish for 2024 to be as peaceful as possible and celebrate its arrival in a similar spirit.” – Guardian

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