Ten people are dead after a 21-year-old man opened fire at a secondary school in Graz, Austria, before turning the gun on himself.
Twelve people were injured in the shooting, which happened on Tuesday morning, one of whom later succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
The incident is the deadliest mass shooting Austria has seen in decades.
How the Attack Unfolded
The first shot was fired at Dreierschützengasse Secondary School around 10 a.m. local time.
At first, the sound left the students confused, unsure of what was happening. One 17-year-old said they thought it was just noise from the construction site nearby, not a gunshot.
Another student said their teacher immediately locked the classroom doors as more shots rang out.
A third student recalled thinking the sounds were firecrackers, until they heard screaming – that’s when she and her friends ran.
Paul Nitsche, who teaches religion at the secondary school, said he was in a classroom when he heard the gunshots, followed by the clatter of bullet casings hitting the floor. He sprang into action and ran.
While running, he briefly saw the shooter. Not long after, he came upon a student and a teacher lying on the ground.
Astrid, who lives in the building next to the school, said she heard at least 30 gunshots. Her husband immediately called the police.
The couple then watched as students ran from the school and gathered on the street outside.
Emergency calls began coming in at 10:00 a.m., and the first officers arrived on the scene by 10:06 a.m. Soon after, specialist units, including the Cobra tactical team, which is trained to respond to hostage and attack situations, were also dispatched.
The situation was brought under control within 17 minutes. In total, more than 300 police officers were deployed to the secondary school.
Who Was the Shooter?
The shooter was a 21-year-old former student at the Austrian secondary school. He has not yet been named.
In a press release on Wednesday, police said the man lived with his single mother in the Graz-Umgebung district.
Authorities also discovered a “farewell letter” and “farewell video” in the suspect’s home. A non-functional pipe bomb was also discovered, along with pages of abandoned plans.
Police added that he legally owned the shotgun and pistol that was used in the attack.
The Victims
Nine students, three boys and six girls between the ages of 14 and 17, were killed in the attack. A teacher also succumbed to her injuries after being taken to the hospital.
Authorities have not yet identified the victims.
Eleven others between the ages of 15 and 26 were injured in the shooting and taken to the hospital.
