Who is David Kozak? Reports identify Prague shooting suspect who killed 14 at Charles University

David Kozak, a 24-year-old student, was identified as the gunman who killed 14 people and injured 25 more at Charles University in Downtown Prague on Thursday, December 21.

Multiple local media reports said that David Kozak, who police said had been "eliminated", went on a rampage at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, where he was a student, on Thursday afternoon and indiscriminately began shooting at the scene.

Authorities, who do not suspect a link to any extremist ideology or groups, said that the shooter killed his father in his hometown of Houston, a village outside Prague, earlier on Thursday.

The shooter, who was planning to kill himself, was reportedly incapacitated at the scene. However, it is unclear if the gunman killed himself or was shot to death during an exchange of gunfire with officers.

Authorities said that the gunman David Kozak is suspected to have killed another man and his two-month-old daughter in the east of Prague earlier this month.

Charles University, founded in 1347, is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest educational institutions in Europe.

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David Kozak was allegedly inspired by Eussin school shooters Alina Afanaskina and llnaz Galyaviev

David Kozak, described as an excellent student with no criminal record by authorities, had a bachelor’s degree in history and European studies. The 24-year-old was working on obtaining a master’s degree, focusing on the history of Poland from Charles University at the time of the shooting.

While the motive for the crime is unclear, chilling final messages shared on social media by David Kozak before the mass shooting revealed he was musing about massacres and mass shootings in the days leading up to the incident. In one alarming post, Kozak allegedly wrote:

"I want to do school shootings and possibly suicide. I always wanted to kill. I thought I would become a maniac in the future.”

According to Cahnnel3Now, Kozak created a Telegram channel a few days before the shooting, where he expressed his chilling desire to inflict harm as he disliked everybody.

Davik Kozak Telegram (Image via Uner Khayan/Twitter)

A post also suggested that he was inspired and influenced by multiple school shooters, including 14-year-old Alina Afanaskina, a Russian schoolgirl.

Alina Afanaskina fatally shot another student and wounded five others with her father’s shotgun before turning the weapon on herself in Bryansk, Russia, on December 7, 2023.

David Kozak also expressed his admiration for “Ilznaz”, seemingly referencing Ilnaz Galyaviev, 19, a mass murderer who killed nine in a 2021 attack on his former school in Kazan, Russia.

“When Ilznaz did the shooting, I realized it was much more profitable to do mass murders than serial ones.”

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Czech Republic declares national day of mourning

In multiple social media posts, Charles University students said they had barricaded themselves in classrooms after the shooting began.

"Currently stuck inside my classroom in Prague," Jakob Weizman, a student at Charles University, wrote on X.

Reuters cited an email to staff at the faculty of arts from the University, warning them of the shooting. It read:

"Stay put, don't go anywhere, if you're in the offices, lock them and place furniture in front of the door, and turn off the lights."

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic declared Saturday a national day of mourning after a tragedy described as the worst mass shooting left 14 dead.