2023 Prague shootings
Mass murder in the Czech Republic From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On 21 December 2023, 14 people were killed and 22 injured in a mass shooting at the main Faculty of Arts building of Charles University in central Prague, Czech Republic. Another three people were injured when the perpetrator opened fire toward the streets from the faculty's fourth-floor rooftop terrace.[7][8][9][10][11][12] After having been engaged by the police, the perpetrator, 24-year-old postgraduate student David Kozák, committed suicide by shooting himself.[13][14][15]
| 2023 Prague shootings | |
|---|---|
 Faculty of Arts, Charles University and Mánes Bridge, the site of the shooting | |
 2023 Prague shootings (Prague city centre) | |
| Location | Prague and Hostouň, Czech Republic |
| Coordinates | 50°05′21″N 14°24′58″E (Faculty of Arts, Charles University main building) |
| Date | Klánovice Forest murders: 15 December 2023 Charles University attack: 21 December 2023 14:54[1] – 15:19[1] (CET, UTC+1) |
| Target | Students and staff at Charles University and random civilians in forest park |
Attack type | School shooting, mass shooting, mass murder, spree shooting, murder–suicide, patricide, pedicide |
| Weapons | Klánovice Forest: Hostouň: Charles University:
|
| Deaths | 18 in total:[3]
|
| Injured | 25 |
| Perpetrator | David Kozák[4][5] |
| Motive | Revenge on society[6] |
Location of the murder sites in and around Prague. Hostouň is located just off the edge of this map.
At the time of the shooting, the perpetrator was one in a pool of about 4,000 suspects in a double murder case that took place six days earlier, 25 kilometres (16 mi) away, when a father and his infant daughter were murdered in Klánovice. The lead investigator confirmed that the police had not yet reviewed the perpetrator's potential as a suspect in the earlier killings when the Prague shootings took place. Evidence from the shootings linked the two incidents. The shooter's father was also found shot dead at his home in Hostouň.
The attack was the deadliest mass murder in the Czech Republic since its independence in 1993, surpassing the 2020 Bohumín arson attack.[16][17][18]
Events
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Perspective
Klánovice Forest murders
On 15 December 2023, a 32-year-old father and his two-month-old daughter in a stroller were shot dead in Klánovice Forest on the eastern outskirts of Prague, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) away from where the later attack would take place at Charles University.[19] Later investigation revealed that the perpetrator David Kozák had only visited the Klánovice Forest once before committing the murders.[2] On the day of the Charles University shooting, Kozák had written a suicide note on his computer detailing the Klánovice murders; he had also hidden the murder weapon in the family garden.[2] According to the letter, he used public transport on the day of the murders and switched off his phone while changing transport on the other side of Prague.[2][20] Kozák carried a brown beige backpack and was armed with two handguns—a Glock 45 and a Beretta 71.[20]
Upon entering the forest, Kozák initially wanted to shoot a woman with two children whom he saw at a playground along the main forest path, but then he noticed a man with a stroller heading towards a side path and decided that he was an easier target.[20] Kozák followed him closely for a while before shooting the man multiple times using the Glock 45 pistol, which was equipped with a silencer. He then murdered the baby with two more rounds before fleeing the scene.[20]
Kozák fled on foot towards Úvaly, leaving the forest first by bus, and then switching to a train once he reached Klánovice railway station.[20] At some point during his escape, he passed by a couple with a stroller and considered shooting them as well, but decided not to after hearing sirens in the distance.[20]
The police conducted a detailed search of the entire forest with hundreds of officers, while a special task force was set up in order to find the perpetrator. The police had no direct leads. The scope of investigation was first directed at owners of registered firearms matching the ballistic report from the crime scene, which initially limited the search to about 30,000 people.[2] This was then further limited to 4,000,[21] of which about 40 people lived in direct vicinity of the Klánovice Forest.[2] The initial investigation focused on those 40 people brought no leads.[2] On 20 December, police said that they had no leads in the case but were continuing to search for the perpetrator.[22][23]
Once a personal or work related motive was exhausted, the police search focused on the possibility of a random murder.[2] The firearms website zbrojnice.com noted a similarity of the case with the 2005 "Forest Killer" murders, in which a former police officer killed three random victims in forests in preparation for a planned mass murder in the Prague Metro, which was prevented by his early arrest; the article ended with an appeal to readers to remain vigilant and carry their concealed firearms.[24][25][26][27]
The chief detective of Prague's 1st General Crime Unit stated because Kozák lived in the Central Bohemian Region, they were a few days short of being able to prevent the Charles University attack. Central Bohemia is a separate region from the city of Prague, and each region in the country has a separate police directorate.[28]
Hostouň patricide and police manhunt
At an unknown time on 21 December 2023,[29] six days after the Klánovice Forest murders, Kozák murdered his father by shooting him three times in the head at their home in Hostouň, about 9 km (6 mi) west of Prague, with a semi-automatic variant of the Škorpion machine pistol.[30] Kozák's father was shot from behind while sitting at a table. His neck was then laid on a block of wood, and an axe found lying next to him indicated that Kozák intended to cut his father's head off, which he didn't do.[31][32]
At 12:19 CET the Central Bohemian Police received a call from Kozák's mother.[33][34] One minute later, a friend of Kozák only identified as K.C. called medical emergency line,[31] stating that Kozák was planning to take his own life. She also said that "he could be dangerous",[2] that he told her "he will do something she will hear about",[35] and that he was en route from his hometown of Hostouň to Prague.[36] At 12:33, the police entered Kozák's home and found the body of his father.[31][37] A thorough search of the house at this time was hindered by improvised explosive devices, which were decommissioned by specialists later that day.[37][38] The police discovered that Kozák was a student of the Charles University's Faculty of Arts in Prague. A search warrant was issued and published; it indicated that Kozák was armed and dangerous.[39]
At 13:10, the Central Bohemian Police, whose jurisdiction the village of Hostouň falls under, directly alerted the Prague Police.[29] The Prague police dispatcher issued an all-points bulletin (APB) which stated that Kozák was sought due to suicide threats, that he may be dangerous, and that he also may be connected to a violent crime, possibly a murder.[40] A security operation was commenced at Václav Havel Airport Prague near Hostouň,[41] where both Kozák and his father worked.[42][43] At 13:20, Prague Police checked the Central Registry of Firearms, noting that Kozák owns multiple firearms, and that one of them was of the type which was the focus of Klánovice murders investigation. The APB was expanded with information that Kozák should be considered extremely dangerous.[44]
At 13:23, Kozák entered the main building of the Faculty of Arts on Jan Palach Square with a heavy suitcase containing firearms, a large amount of ammunition, cleavers, chains, and bicycle locks, through the busy main entrance without arousing any suspicion. He proceeded to the fourth floor bathrooms, where he apparently remained until the start of the attack.[2] Before the shooting occurred, Kozák placed his ID, a floor plan of the fourth floor with handwritten notes about the classrooms' capacities, an unopened alcohol bottle, and a Rivotril pack of medicine, under the bathroom window.[2]
At 13:30, two police units, altogether six officers, entered the Faculty of Arts main building,[37] where they talked to the reception personnel and two vice deans whom they met in the corridors. The officers searched through the building's ground and first floors, then visited the Student Affairs Office and the Department of History and learned about Kozák's lecture schedule, according to which he was supposed to attend a lecture starting at 14:00 in a different building on Celetná street.[2][37][29]
At 13:57, the dispatch sent multiple police units to evacuate the Celetná Street Faculty of Arts building.[40] The six police officers who searched the main building left without taking any further action there and proceeded to the Celetná building,[45] where they would stand guard until the start of the attack in the main building.[46] The Celetná building is a twelve-minute walk from the main building.
At 14:04, the dispatch relayed the following information through the police radio transmitter:
Increased caution for all patrols in the case of this Kozák. He's a really dangerous, very dangerous offender, suspect, and there's a lot of concern that he could use a weapon anytime, anywhere.[47]
The evacuation of Celetná building was finished at 14:22; Kozák was not found in the building or in its vicinity.[39] Multiple students walked from the evacuated Celetná building into the main building at Jan Palach Square.[44] At 14:38, Kozák's phone was turned on and registered by a telecommunications tower located near the Old Jewish Cemetery about 100 meters from the main building.[40] The manhunt thus continued on the street level in this area,[2] including the Jewish Quarter, Pařížská street, the Old Town Square, and Staroměstská metro station.[48][49] Dozens of heavily armed police officers, including the Prague SWAT unit, were spread out in the crowded area where Christmas markets were taking place.[40] Some plain-clothed criminal detectives moved from the Celetná building into the wider area of Jan Palach square in front of the main building. They did not enter the main building as they were informed that it had already been searched by other police units.[50]
Charles University shooting
At around 14:54 CET, Kozák exited the restroom and opened fire inside the building's fourth floor corridors and classrooms.[1] He repeatedly entered classroom No. 423, targeting everyone inside. Once he moved further away from this classroom, one of the students led remaining survivors to barricade the door. All of the people in this classroom were either killed or suffered life-threatening injuries.[51] Kozák also entered classroom no. 417 on the same floor and fired upon those present.
A third-year history student named Tomáš Hercík has been credited with saving lives of several people during the shooting. At 14:59, one of the students present at a lecture taking place on the second floor received a message about the ongoing killing spree, prompting Hercík to head to the fourth floor. While passing by the third floor, he noticed people mingling in the corridors, seemingly unaware of the ongoing attack. Upon reaching the fourth floor, he immediately heard gunshots and people's cries. While avoiding the gunman, Hercík entered numerous classrooms and warned the people inside about the ongoing attack, making sure that they lock the doors, switch off lights, and remain quiet. He then retreated to the third floor, where he continued warning attendees in the classrooms.[52][53][54]
Several of the students present in other fourth floor classrooms fled to the exterior terrace, then climbed onto a ledge on the other side of the building before jumping to a third floor balcony, sustaining injuries from the fall.[1][55] Among them was student and athlete Klára Holcová, who slipped from the ledge and fell to her death.[36][1]
At 14:57:28, the first phone call about the attack reached the medical emergency line. Police first received information about the attack at 14:59:06.[56][39][32] A criminal police detective entered the building at 15:02, with uniformed policemen joining him one minute later. When police officers initially arrived, no gunshots were heard from within the building,[57] which led the officers to move slowly towards the fourth floor in "search mode" instead of the fast "contact mode".[56] Students were evacuated from the lower floors to the Rudolfinum across the street, while the search party moved upstairs.[58]
At 15:11, police officers who were searching for the gunman on the third floor were alerted that he was shooting from a rifle towards the streets outside. It was erroneously reported that the gunman was on the rooftop, when he was actually on fourth floor outside terrace.[59] The gunfire caused panic outside the building, with crowds of people fleeing the nearby Charles Bridge.[55] Reporter Jiří Forman who was on the ground at Jan Palach Square recorded Kozák on the fourth floor terrace with a rifle. Forman, who had taken cover, shouted at Kozák in a successful attempt to draw his fire away from students evacuating the building. The perpetrator was visible only for a few brief moments, as he kept moving out of view from those on the ground.[60]
Police lost time searching for a route towards the fourth floor and then to the outer terrace, as the area is difficult to navigate.[28] While the first three floors are accessible by the main central staircase, the position of the side staircase leading to the fourth floor was not immediately visible to the officers.[61] Hercík eventually showed them the way to the fourth floor.[52][53][54]
At 15:12, the advancing police forces reached the fourth floor and split into two groups; the first group continued their search for the perpetrator, while the second group began initiating first aid to the victims in the corridor.[56][49] Authorities reported seeing "piles of ammunition" inside the building's corridors, adding that Kozák had brought multiple weapons into the university.[62] The city emergency services also deployed a large number of ambulance units to the scene.[63]
The perpetrator fired thirteen shots from his AR-10 rifle, the last of which was fired at 15:18:51.[1] Between 15:18:54 and 15:18:59, as the perpetrator was again briefly visible to those on the ground, a plain clothes detective positioned at Jan Palach Square fired three shots from his Glock pistol. Meanwhile, two police officers armed with G36 carbines climbed to a top floor of a hotel on the opposite side of the street. At 15:18:57, one of the officers aimed his carbine at the perpetrator through the closed window, but did not fire at the gunman; available information indicated that the perpetrator was not aware of the police presence on the opposite building.[1]
At 15:19:10, Kozák threw his loaded rifle off the roof, and then at 15:19:24 committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun,[1] bringing the rampage to an end. At 15:23, policemen entered classrooms 423 and 417, where majority of the victims were situated, and started providing first aid. At 15:25, other policemen reached the fourth floor terrace, where they confirmed the perpetrator's death.[1]
Victims
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List of victims
Klánovice Forest
- Martin P., 32
- Unnamed two-month-old daughter
Hostouň
- Stanislav Kozák, 55 (perpetrator's father)
Charles University
- Eva Brožová, 20 (student)
- Jan Dlask, 50 (lecturer, Department of Germanic Studies)
- Ad Feynmann, 20 (student)
- Lucie Fríbertová, 23 (student)
- Lenka Hlávková, 49 (Head of the Institute of Musicology)
- Klára Holcová, 20 (student)
- Adam Jurák, 34 (student)
- Magdalena Křístková, 20 (student)
- Sára Lidická, 19 (student)
- Agáta Michalová, 21 (student)
- Aneta Richterová, 20 (student)
- Tereza Skolková, 23 (student)
- Eliška Šimůnková, 20 (student)
- Lucie Špindlerová, 20 (student)
A 32-year-old man and his two-month-old daughter were killed in Klánovice Forest on 15 December 2023. Kozák's father was killed at their home in the early morning of 21 December 2023.[64][36]
Fourteen people—two staff members and twelve students—died during the Charles University attack. Twelve people were instantly killed within the Faculty of Arts building, one died from their injuries at a hospital, and one died after falling from a ledge while trying to escape the perpetrator. Twenty-five people were also injured; some of them sustained injuries while jumping from the fourth floor ledge to escape the gunman. Three people were injured outside the building when the perpetrator opened fired from the building's fourth floor terrace.[12][28] Three vehicles were also hit, including two police cars.[28][65]
Ten of the injured were in serious condition,[63] one of them being a daughter of MP and member of the parliamentary committee for education Jan Richter (ANO), who criticized police for allegedly wrongly triaging his daughter as a low-priority victim who subsequently nearly bled to death before reaching a hospital.[66] Three foreign nationals were reported to be among the injured: one Dutch and two Emiratis.[11]
Two of the victims were staff members, including Lenka Hlávková, head of the Institute of Musicology of Charles University,[62][67] and Jan Dlask, a lecturer at the university's Department of Germanic Studies.[68] The remaining fatalities were students.[69]
Investigation
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Department of Internal Investigation
On 9 January 2024, the police's Department of Internal Investigation presented the conclusion of its inquiry into police conduct in the case. The Department's director Michal Tikovský stated that they had found no mistakes in the police's handling of the case. He added that "The officers' actions were in accordance with the applicable legislation and internal regulations. The police intervention can be assessed as prompt and professional." Tikovský said that the police could not have known that the perpetrator was heading towards the main building, nor that he was preparing to carry out a mass murder. Applicable rules had also been followed when issuing the perpetrator's gun license.[70]
The Parliamentary Security Committee requested the department's closing report. On 6 February 2024, they received a fifty-page report, in which 33 pages were completely redacted and the remaining 17 pages were mostly redacted. On page 39, it was stated that "it cannot be concluded that the police knew that the lives of the students of the Faculty of Philosophy in the building on Jana Palach Square were in real and immediate danger." Opposition ANO party members were angered by the redaction of the document and stated their intent to establish a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission with full investigative powers in order to receive complete information about the case.[71]
Public criticism of police
"They were covering it up from the beginning, that no one could have expected what he would do, and that it would be just a normal suicide. I think the arsenal of weapons he had, the fact that he killed his father and planted a bomb in the house, should have led everyone to know that this was not normal."
Father of one of the victims[35]
While the police intervention after the attack had started was generally accepted as correct, a strong criticism was aimed at apparent mistakes in its search for Kozák before the university attack. In January 2024, the Chief of Prague Police Petr Matějček was defending the police procedure with explanation: "We were still working with the idea that the man was a danger to himself and was going to commit suicide."[32] Interior Minister Vít Rakušan also commented that authorities had no indication of anyone else at risk other than Kozák himself,[36] and that police knew that the father was murdered only after decommissioning the improvised explosive device, which took place after the university attack was over.[72]
However, that was in contradiction with the information provided by the K.C. in the initial phone call and the murder scene within the house.[32] According to Lidové noviny, the circumstances of the father's death were clearly pointing to murder, police also had information about Kozák's firearms possession, and Matějček personally ordered a tactical unit to be present in the Staroměstské náměstí area before the attack commenced.[32] Moreover, on 26 June 2024, online daily Seznam zprávy published action reports filed by the policemen that had unsuccessfully searched for the perpetrator in the School of Arts main building. Three policemen signed under first report wrote that they were searching for Kozák "suspected of murdering his father". Report of the other unit explicitly stated: "He was suspected of murdering his father while threatening suicide. Other information suggests that he is a mentally disturbed man who also possesses several weapons."[46]
During 24 June 2024, Parliamentary Security Committee hearing, Matějček further alleged that it was technically impossible for the police officers who entered the building at 13:30 to review the security camera footage at that time. The footage later revealed the perpetrator's entry at 13:23. University official labeled Matějček's statement as a "lie", claiming that reviewing of previous footage can be done immediately, but the police officers asked for it only hours after the attack.[73] The university's information about availability of the camera footage was later confirmed also by the spokesman of the Regional Directorate of the Police of the Capital City of Prague Jan Daněk, who claimed it would in any case not be helpful, as Kozák was not facing the camera, had black hair and a different hairstyle compared to photo available to the police officers.[74] Also, during the committee's hearing, Matějček repeated the statement that there was no initial information that the perpetrator might commit a murder or a mass murder, but later added that he had been considered a murder suspect in relation to his father's death. Matějček admitted that the police were aware that one of his firearms was of the type which was the focus of Klánovice murders investigation. He also stated that the police sent "everything they had" into the centre of Prague.[48]
Police issued a formal decision on conclusion of investigation in June 2024.[35] Multiple victims, their relatives as well as the Charles University filed appeal against the decision.[35] The relatives were especially outraged by the fact that police officers entered shortly after the perpetrator, but did not properly search the building,[35] did not order the evacuation of the students, nor did any police officers remain within the faculty's main building.[75][76] Prague Police Chief Matějček stated that the police officers "followed a hot lead", and therefore remaining in the main building would be "counterproductive".[48][29] Matejček further said that if evacuation of the building had taken place, the perpetrator would have become aware of it and "anything could have happened".[29]
Several relatives of murdered students as well as some journalists called for resignation of the Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan, the Police President Martin Vondrášek, and in particular the Prague Police Chief Petr Matějček,[35][77][44] who was accused by the media of falsely implying that Central Bohemian Police did not provide correct information, and thus Prague Police was not aware of Kozák's dangerousness.[44] On 27 June 2024, Echo24 daily accused Rakušan and Matějček of "covering evidence" and "undermining people's trust in the state".[78] Rakušan reacted by stating that he only had information from public sources and that he "hopes that the police will explain any inconsistencies."[79]
General Inspection of Security Forces
General Inspection of Security Forces, which is tasked with investigating crimes of police officers, concluded its investigation at the beginning of June 2024. On 6 June 2024, its director Vít Hendrych informed members of the Parliamentary Security Committee that no crime was committed by any police officer in the case. Opposition ANO members of the committee unsuccessfully requested the inspection's closing report. Hendrych stated that full fifty-page report is confidential and that even police will receive only a three-page summary.[80] The three-page summary was released on 9 July 2024, with media noting that it does not answer any of the pertinent questions, such as what exact information police had while searching for Kozák, and especially why did the police officers leave the main building before the attack commenced.[81]
Parliamentary Inquiry Commission
Leading opposition party ANO repeatedly requested establishment of Parliamentary Inquiry Commission which would investigate conduct of the police in the case. The governing parties repeatedly refused such a step, with head of Parliamentary Security Committee Pavel Žáček stating that they have "full trust in the police and the state attorney office".[82][83] This, however, changed following the June 2024 formal conclusion of investigation and after the hearing of the Parliamentary Security Committee. First, the Czech Pirate Party broke ranks with the rest of the Government and announced it would support the opposition's vote for Inquiry Commission.[84] On 26 June 2024, the ANO's proposal for establishment of the commission was approved in the Chamber by vote of 132 of 141 deputies.[85] The commission has the power to procure documents, demand explanations and interview witnesses and, depending on the nature of the case, hire an expert and an interpreter.[86]
Aftermath
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Perspective
The evening after the attack, passersby lit candles and left flowers at the site of the attack.[55] The Charles University Foundation and the community of Klánovice announced humanitarian online fundraisers to help those affected by the tragedy.[87][88] The 2023–24 UEFA Women's Champions League football match between Slavia Prague and St. Pölten, set to be played at home in Prague on the day of the shooting, was postponed.[89] Several other sports and cultural events were also called off,[55] while Christmas markets across of the country were either closed or reduced operations on 23 December.[69] Interior minister Vít Rakušan called on mayors across the country to cancel New Year's fireworks displays in light of the killings and urged citizens to mark the event peacefully out of respect for those traumatised by the shootings.[21]
Following the shooting, police detained four people on suspicion of threatening to stage copycat attacks or expressing approval of the incident, while police presence in selected sites, including schools, were heightened until 1 January 2024.[90]
Authorities responded to several false alarms about potential attacks following the incident, including two bomb-related hoaxes in Prague and in Václav Havel airport.[91] In Slovakia, a 64-year-old man in Žilina was arrested by police after calling emergency services and saying that he intended to do "what happened in Prague" on the evening after the attack. He was subsequently charged with spreading general alarm.[92]
At some point after the shootings, Kozák's house in Hostouň was broken into, and subsequently put under police guard.[93]
On 4 January 2024, a march was held from the main building of Charles University to the Faculty of Arts building to commemorate the victims of the shootings, after which students formed a human chain around the building in a symbolic embrace before lighting a fire at Jan Palach square as bells in nearby churches tolled for 14 minutes.[94]
On 26 January 2024, the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic passed a new firearms act which had been in the making since 2017 and which was formally publicly introduced in September 2022.[95] The new act, which will become effective in 2026, includes several changes, such as requiring businesses to report suspicious purchases of firearms and ammunition to police, requiring gun owners to undergo a medical examination every five years as opposed to 10 years under the current laws, giving doctors access to databases to find out if their patients are gun owners, and expanding reasons for preliminary seizure of firearms by police. The legislation passed unopposed in the lower house, and must be approved by the Senate and President Petr Pavel for it to become law.[96][97]
On 14 June 2024, the Czech police closed the investigation. The report was first provided to the relatives of the victims, and later to the general public.[98] Investigators concluded that the shooter was a lone assailant, that the attack was not planned to target anyone in particular, and that the motive was that he felt misunderstood by society and wanted to draw attention to himself.[6]
On 20 June 2024, a memorial for the victims of the attack was installed in Jan Palach Square. It weighs approximately eight tons and is a three meters high piece of sandstone. It was designed by Vojtěch Adamec and placed down by architect Vojtěch Králíček.[99][100]
On 12 April 2025, the mother of one of the victims, Lenka Šimůnková, committed suicide by jumping into the Macocha Gorge.[101] Šimůnková was the biggest critic of the police conduct in the case and had not come to terms with her daughter's death or the results of the investigation.[102]
Perpetrator
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Perspective
General
The perpetrator was identified as David Kozák (b. 12 August 1999),[103][104] a 24-year-old masters in world history student[21][105] from Hostouň, 21 kilometers (13 mi) outside Prague,[106][107] who had graduated with a bachelor's degree in History and European Studies from the Faculty of Arts.[108] Kozák successfully defended his bachelor's thesis at the Institute of World History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, entitled The Problematics of the Antagonism of the Galician Peasant Revolt and the Kraków Uprising in the Year of 1846. The supervisor was professor František Stellner; the thesis was defended with an excellent grade.[109] Kozák's thesis was subsequently awarded the Marian Szyjkowski Award by the Polish Institute in Prague.[110]
The perpetrator had no prior criminal record,[55] and had also passed an enhanced background check by the Civil Aviation Authority as part of a hiring process for his job at the Václav Havel International Airport.[42]
According to State Attorney Jana Murínová, Kozák had been watching videos with "bizarre violence and bizarre pornography".[111] In particular, he was watching pornography originating from Asia, including movies in which actresses were made to look like zombies or corpses.[112]
His father was generally considered to be a very gentle, kind and helpful person, while his mother had been the authoritative figure in the family.[111] According to the psychologist, the family did not provide effective emotional support for the perpetrator. Conflicts with parents played a role in the development of the perpetrator's suicide tendencies. Classmates testified that Kozák had described being under stress due to his parents pressuring him to finish his bachelor's degree early. Kozák also described being punished for failing to do household chores. He further described having little sleep, eating little and drinking only green tea. The perpetrator's mother contradicted these testimonies, claiming that the perpetrator was a calm and happy boy and that the family functioned well, adding that she did not understand his actions.[112]
Kozák was unable to establish romantic relationships, with unsuccessful attempts to find a girlfriend during high school. His feelings of loneliness deepened when he started studying at the university, and in particular during the COVID-19 restrictions.[112] One of the witnesses of the university killing spree testified that Kozák was saying, "You don't talk to me much. You don't communicate with me much," while murdering his victims.[112]
Interior Minister Vít Rakušan said the authorities did not suspect any ideological or extremist links.[113] On 26 April 2024, state attorney Jana Murínová stated during a public hearing of the Parliamentary Security Committee that the perpetrator was not suffering from a mental disorder.[114]
A Telegram account attributed to him contained writings in fluent Russian[115] that praised two school shooters from Russia, namely Ilnaz Galyaviev and Alina Afanaskina, and described suicidal tendencies.[55][116] This information was shared by Czech media but was not officially confirmed by police.[55] A Russia correspondent at Czech Radio suggested the Telegram account was likely fake, as one post was edited after the shooter's death and the posts were written "in the language of a young native Russian speaker".[117] Police made no definitive conclusion regarding the Telegram account, citing refusal of Russian authorities to cooperate in the case.[33]
Mental state
"At least in the last year of his life, David Kozák was characterised by a long-lasting and strong incitement to murderous activity. The correlation of the homicidal urges were the feelings of injustice, resentment and hatred. By the end of 2022, he showed an association between suicidal and homicidal ideation."
Psychologist's expert opinion (post mortem)[33]
Czech Police Chief Martin Vondrášek said that the perpetrator had a gun license and owned eight firearms,[106] which he obtained as part of his plan to commit a mass murder.[118] As a European Union member state, the Czech Republic adheres to the European Firearms Directive[119] and legal accessibility of firearms is comparable to other EU countries.[120] In 2021, a constitutional amendment to the country's Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms codified the citizens' right to defend themselves or others with a weapon. To legally possess a firearm in the Czech Republic, a person must first obtain a firearms license, which requires, among other things, a medical examination.[121] A bill of health is issued by the general practitioner, who can also request a review of the applicant's mental state.[122]
Kozák's friend, who has been named only as K.C.[33] by the media, became worried about his mental state in the summer of 2022.[2] Due to her intervention, Kozák underwent four visits with a psychiatrist between September and November 2022.[2] Here, Kozák first disclosed suicidal thoughts, but during the visits, he progressed towards murderous ideas aimed at his parents as well as other unassuming people.[2] The psychiatrist advised that Kozák start visiting a psychologist, which he did only once in December 2022.[2]
Psychiatrists in the Czech Republic have a legal duty to send their medical reports to the patient's general practitioner, "if the practitioner is known to them". As Kozák did not disclose the name of his general practitioner, no report was sent.[2] Lidové noviny, however, cited several psychiatrists, according to whom it was easy to find information about a patient's general practitioner. They claimed that it took "only three clicks" through an online communication channel with the patient's insurance provider. The Czech Medical Association confirmed that a psychiatrist may learn about the general practitioner through this method; however there is no legal requirement to do so.[123] Due to the absence of his general practitioner, Kozák's medical clearance was issued by a substitute doctor, who specialized in Chinese medicine and who graduated from Guangdong Medical University.[124] The police asked the Czech Medical Association to review whether a substitute doctor may issue a medical clearance instead of the general practitioner, as required by law.[124]
The general practitioner could have learned about Kozák's psychiatric visits from an online database of the patient's medical prescriptions. However, reviewing this information is not obligatory, and the general practitioner that issued the bill of health failed to do so. The only information in the bill of health for the gun license was that Kozák had to wear glasses when using firearms.[2]
According to a police-ordered post-mortem psychological evaluation, Kozák had a personality that was "schizoid with narcissistic and dissociative traits and a very solid IQ", but did not suffer from any particular mental disorder.[2]
In September 2024, the vice-chairman of the Parliamentary Defense Committee Pavel Růžička, together with the Minister of Defense Jana Černochová and other deputies, lodged a proposal to amend the Firearms Act to remedy the errors in the process of health clearance which were uncovered during the investigation.[125]
Planning of the attack
Police concluded that Kozák had been planning to conduct a mass murder for a long time.[2] He researched information about murderers, including the Forest Killer, the Spartakiad Killer and Anders Behring Breivik.[51]
From the beginning of 2023, Kozák gradually started to identify with Keiji Kiriya, a character in All You Need Is Kill, a Japanese science fiction novel which had previously been the topic of an essay he wrote in high school.[112] In September 2023, he limited his planning to the university and its vicinity.[2] He researched teaching schedules of the fourth floor classrooms and downloaded floorplans, both of the building he attacked as well as the other school building at the Celetná street.[2] He made notes of the probable number of students in each of the classrooms.[2] He was further researching public events at the nearby Rudolfinum building, Jan Palach square and other locations at the Prague Old Town.[2]
Kozák received a gift of CZK 300,000 (approximately US$13,000) from his grandmother and liquidated CZK 400,000 (US$17,000) from a long-term savings account. This money, as well as income from his airport job, was used towards the purchase of firearms and ammunition.[2]
Kozák had told several friends about his gun purchases.[2] He shared most information with his friend K.C., whom he also informed about taking shooting courses.[2] On 3 November 2023, the perpetrator told K.C. that he started exercising as he would have to carry heavy bags in a month or two.[2] On 6 December 2023, Kozák wrote messages to K.C., which in hindsight, according to the investigators, showed clear determination to commit a murder.[2]
Copycat incidents
In November 2024, an unidentified minor female student from South Moravia was sentenced to two years imprisonment for planning to murder three other students and for expressing approval of the Prague attack. The student had first tried to gain access to firearms owned by her friends' family members, and after failing to do so, she opted to commit the attack with a kitchen knife. She was arrested on 1 January 2024, a day before she planned to commit the murders. Additionally, the court decided that after serving her prison term, the girl will be involuntarily committed into a mental institution. Her release would be conditional upon a new court decision, subject to an expert opinion that she no longer poses a threat to society.[126]
Reactions
Summarize
Perspective
Domestic
During a vigil at Charles University on 22 December, its rector Milena Králíčková said, "The academic community is shaken, deeply shaken."[128] Prime Minister Petr Fiala cancelled his scheduled events in Olomouc and travelled to Prague shortly after the shooting.[129] President Petr Pavel expressed his "sincere condolences" to the family and friends of the victims via social media, while also cutting short a trip to France.[130][131]
Fiala later announced a day of mourning for 23 December, with flags flying at half-mast and a minute of silence held at noon, along with the ringing of bells for the victims.[55][106] A mass for the victims was also held that day at Saint Vitus Cathedral, which was attended by Pavel, Senate president Miloš Vystrčil, and Chamber of Deputies president Markéta Pekarová Adamová. The service was officiated by Jan Graubner, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Prague, who expressed shock at the incident and expressed the "need to clearly condemn what happened" while also looking into the future. University rector Milena Králíčková also said during the event that "Nobody should be left alone in these tough moments." Religious services for the victims were also held in other parts of the country.[69]
In a social media post, SPD MP Jiří Kobza blamed the "inclusive progressive school system" at the Faculty of Arts for creating the shooter. The post was later deleted.[132][133] The Czech Rectors Conference called Kobza's post "absolutely shocking, crossing the boundaries of decency, morality, good manners, but also the boundaries of humanity."[134] Charles University announced it would file a criminal complaint against Kobza.[135] On 9 January 2024, Kobza apologized on social media, claiming he was under emotions at the time of his initial post.[136] Charles University called his apology "unsatisfactory" and too late.[137]
International
Many international leaders expressed condolences, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, United States president Joe Biden, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy,[138] Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau,[139] Israeli president Isaac Herzog,[140][141] Slovak president Zuzana Čaputová and prime minister Robert Fico,[142] German chancellor Olaf Scholz,[143] Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán,[144] French president Emmanuel Macron,[145] Finnish president Sauli Niinistö,[146] Pope Francis,[147] and Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen.[148]
See also
- Uherský Brod shooting, a 2015 mass shooting that was the deadliest mass shooting in the Czech Republic prior to this attack
- Ostrava hospital attack, a 2019 Czech mass shooting
Notes
References
External links
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