GRAZ, Austria — A former student armed with two firearms opened fire Tuesday morning at a high school in Graz, Austria, killing nine people before taking his own life, The New York Times reports.
Authorities responded to emergency calls around 10 a.m. local time at BORG Dreierschützengasse, a school located in the northwest section of Austria’s second-largest city. More than 300 police officers and 160 emergency medical responders swarmed the campus, including elite COBRA tactical units and helicopter support, according to the New York Times.
The gunman, identified as a 21-year-old from Graz who had previously attended the school but never graduated, was found dead by suicide in a school bathroom, police said. He had entered the building with a pistol and a longer firearm, both of which were recovered at the scene. The weapons had been purchased legally, authorities said.
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Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner confirmed during a press conference that nine people — six females and three males — were killed. Another 12 individuals were injured in the attack. Police have not released the identities or ages of the victims, nor have they confirmed how many were students, citing the ongoing investigation.
“This shooting rampage at a school in Graz is a national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said on social media. He later called it “a dark day” in Austrian history during a televised press statement.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, survivors were escorted to the Helmut List Hall, an events venue repurposed for emergency care, NBC News reports. A nearby football stadium served as a reunification site for students and their families. Police urged the public to avoid the area and established a digital platform for witnesses to upload photos and videos to aid investigators.
Mass shootings remain rare in Austria. Between 2000 and 2022, only two such incidents were recorded, according to research from the Rockefeller Institute of Government. Graz, a university city of about 300,000 residents, had last experienced mass violence a decade ago, when a man drove his vehicle into a crowd and then began stabbing bystanders, killing three.
