Police in Austria are actively investigating a tragic shooting that occurred at a former high school in Graz, where a gunman killed nine students and a teacher. The horrifying events unfolded the day before when the assailant opened fire, shocking the nation.
On Wednesday, a large gathering of mourners assembled near the crime scene to observe a moment of silence, paying tribute to the victims of what has become one of Austria’s deadliest school shootings. Authorities have confirmed that they searched the residence of the 21-year-old assailant, who targeted the Dreierschützengasse secondary school, located in the capital of the southern province of Styria.
According to Graz police spokesman Sabri Yorgun, investigators discovered a non-functional makeshift bomb, a suicide note, and a video message during their search. “We have carried out a search operation at the home address of the… suspect from the district of Graz… and have been able to establish that there was a suicide note both in digital form, via video message, and in handwritten form,” he shared on CNN Wednesday morning, highlighting the need to assess the suspect’s motivations.
Among the ten fatalities, nine were students aged 14 to 17, with one victim found outside the school upon officers’ arrival. The bodies of the other students, along with several injured individuals, were located inside the building. All of the deceased were Austrian citizens, except for one who held Polish nationality. The tenth victim, a female teacher, succumbed to her injuries later that evening in a hospital.
Additionally, 11 people aged 15 to 26 sustained injuries, including eight Austrians, two Romanians, and one Iranian, as reported by the police on Wednesday. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot noted that one victim was a French student, stating, “Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends.” All injured parties are currently reported to be in stable condition, with nine remaining in intensive care, while one individual is awaiting facial surgery and another requires knee surgery.
Emergency services responded to reports of gunfire around 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, deploying multiple vehicles and a police helicopter to the scene. The shooter, who had attended the school previously but did not graduate, used a rifle and a handgun during the attack before ultimately taking his own life in a bathroom, according to authorities’ statements at a press conference.
Gun-related violence is relatively uncommon in Austria, as in many Central European nations. The firearm homicide rate stood at just 0.1 per 100,000 individuals in 2021, a stark contrast to the United States, where the rate was 4.5 per 100,000. Despite this, Austria has a higher rate of gun ownership compared to other European Union nations, registering 30 civilian-owned firearms for every 100 citizens, as per the Small Arms Survey.
In recent years, Austria has experienced a few notable violent incidents. Last October, a mayor from a northern town was shot dead alongside another victim. Additionally, in February, a 23-year-old male perpetrated a stabbing attack that injured five individuals in southern Austria, identified by police as a random act of violence.