Student kills 15 people in mass shooting at Prague university

Officers sealed off Jan Palach Square and evacuated the philosophy department of Charles University, where the shooting took place.

Fifteen killed and dozens injured in mass shooting at Prague school in Jan Palach Square PA Media

A gunman who killed at least 15 people at a university in central Prague was a student there, police said.

Police and the Czech Republic’s interior ministry earlier said the suspect was dead.

Police gave no details about the victims or a possible motive for the shooting at the building located near the Vltava River. Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said investigators do not suspect a link to any extremist ideology or groups.

Officers sealed off Jan Palach Square and evacuated the philosophy department of Charles University, where the shooting took place.

Pavel Nedoma, the director of the nearby Rudolfinum Gallery, said he saw from a window a person standing on a balcony of the building and firing a gun.

Police said they were still searching the area, including the balcony, for possible explosives.

The building forms part of the square and faces a bridge across the river with a view of Prague Castle, the seat of the Czech presidency.

President Petr Pavel said he was “shocked” by what happened and offered his condolences to the relatives of the victims.

Some video footage from the scene showed people being evacuated from the building and others trying to hide by a wall.

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