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What was supposed to be a happy Thursday afternoon turned to unmitigated terror in a Prague university. On December 21, 2023, David Kozak, a 24-year-old art student of Charles University, opened fire with a sniper rifle, killing 14 and injuring 25. The suspected gunman was later found dead inside the philosophy building of Prague's Charles University.
Kozak's first fired shots were captured on video by a US tourist. Kevin K, a native of Ohio, was on holiday in Prague to visit their famed Christmas markets. But his shopping spree abruptly stopped when he saw several people run out of Charles University and into Jan Palach Square, where he was standing, The Sun reported. Kevin shared the video he filmed on social media.
The horrifying video shows people running, followed by the sound of gunshots. The gunman can be seen for a brief second in the video.
Trigger Warning: This article contains content about gun violence that can be triggering in nature. Readers' discretion is advised.
Kevin stated that "intermittent gunfire" continued for "at least eight minutes." In a statement to The U.S. Sun, Kevin said:
"Everyone was just shocked. Everyone just ran. The aftermath was insane. Everyone was talking about it, in shock, and there were a ton of police officers everywhere."
A student opened fire in a Prague university in what is dubbed the worst mass shooting in the history of the Czech Republic
On Thursday, December 21, Jan Palach Square, a bustling tourist area in Prague's Old Town, saw a large gathering of people who had come to indulge in some last-minute Christmas shopping.
However, shortly after 3 pm, the Christmas cheer disappeared when a lone gunman, David Kozak, went on a shooting rampage at Charles University, a Prague university overlooking the square. The carnage killed 14 people and injured 25, 10 of whom are in critical condition.
The square, which was filled with tourists, saw students run out of the Prague university just mere seconds before they heard gunshots. According to The Sun, witnesses spotted the shooter on the roof of the university's faculty of arts building before he took aim at the square with his sniper rifle.
The police had already started evacuating the Prague university and the square after receiving a tip-off about a possible imminent shooting. They closed down the nearby Charles Bridge as a precaution.
According to the BBC, eyewitnesses saw students jumping from the windows onto the ledges of the Prague university, hoping to escape the shooter.
In an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, Kevin K, the American tourist, said:
"The police asked people to get behind the building since we were all just stood out in the open. The students you see in the video were removed from the building and were running towards us."
Footage captured by students inside the Prague university has been circulating on social media.
Jakob Weizman, a student at the university, posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Currently stuck inside my classroom in Prague."
In a statement to the BBC, Sergei Medvedev, a professor at the Charles University, said:
"I was giving a lecture at the moment and at first didn't quite realise what happened because there were some sounds. The students... heard it better because I was so much concentrated on my talking, on my lecture.
"Then at some point, the special operation groups went storming in, they searched the room briefly and then went out... they told us to stay inside. One hour later, another police squad broke in and then put us on the floor, briefly searched us then evacuated from the building."
“I always wanted to kill": Alleged Telegram messages from the shooter detail his sinister plans
According to The Sun, Kozak allegedly posted about his mass shooting plans in the Prague university group on Telegram. Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek told reporters that Kozak was inspired by similar massacres that happened abroad, as stated in his chilling Telegram messages.
On December 10, 2023, he wrote a post that said:
“I always wanted to kill. I thought I would become a maniac in the future.”
According to ABC News, David Kozak was the legal owner of several guns. Police said that he was heavily armed on Thursday and carried a lot of ammunition. The areas surrounding the shooting, including Charles University, the square, and Charles Bridge, are closed off while police search for possible explosives.
Gun violence is a rare threat in the Czech Republic. The shooting at the university is reportedly the worst mass shooting in the history of the Czech Republic. The Czech government has declared Saturday, December 23, 2023, a national day of mourning in Prague to honor the victims of this senseless shooting.
