Vienna, Austria — At least 10 people were killed and many others injured Tuesday in a shooting attack at a high school in the Austrian city of Graz, police said, adding that the perpetrator was also dead. Police in Graz deployed in force to the school late Tuesday morning after receiving a call about shots being heard at the facility.
It was not immediately clear how the shooter had died. Police said the fatalities included students and at least one adult, and that several people were being treated for serious injuries.
“Today is a dark day in the history of our country,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told reporters.
He called it “a national tragedy that shocks us deeply” and said there would be three days of national mourning, with the Austrian flag lowered to half-staff at official buildings. A national minute of silence is to be held on Wednesday morning in memory of the victims.
Graz Mayor Elke Kahr later described the events as a “terrible tragedy,” according to the Austria Press Agency.
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Police said in a message posted on social media that the situation was under control and there was not deemed to be any further threat to the public, as they believed the assailant had acted alone.
“The rampage at a school in Graz is a national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said in a statement. “There are no words for the pain and grief that we all — all of Austria — are feeling right now.”
Police spokesperson Sabri Yorgun said earlier that special forces were among those deployed to the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school after a call at 10 a.m. (4 a.m. Eastern). The police said in a post on social media that the school had been evacuated and everyone had been taken to a safe meeting point.
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Graz, Austria’s second-biggest city, is located in the southeast of the country and has about 300,000 inhabitants.
“Schools are symbols for youth, hope and the future,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X. “It is hard to bear when schools become places of death and violence.”
What are Austria’s gun ownership laws?
Firearms violence is rare in Austria, where gun ownership is tightly regulated.
Under the country’s gun laws, all automatic weapons, along with semi-automatic rifles with a capacity of over 10 rounds and semi-automatic handguns with a capacity of over 20 rounds, most pump-action shotguns, and short-barrel shotguns, are all prohibited.
While some multiple-round, lower-capacity long guns and handguns are allowed, owners must obtain special permits, which require multiple layers of verification and checks.
Rifles and shotguns that require manual reloading after ever round is fired are allowed without permits, but all firearm owners must be over 18 and have their guns registered on a national database within six weeks of obtaining them.
Austrians who wish to transport a firearm publicly must obtain a European Union-issued weapons pass, which covers only the firearms permitted under the national laws noted above.
