Summary

  • Czech police say a gunman who killed 14 people at a university in Prague yesterday shot himself when confronted by officers

  • One of those killed was Lenka Hlavkova - head of the Institute of Musicology at Charles University's Faculty of Arts

  • Another 25 people were wounded in the attack when a student opened fire in the capital

  • Police show bodycam footage of officers trying to intervene, and describe sweeping the university floor by floor

  • The shooting began at around 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) at the Faculty of Arts building of Charles University

  • The gunman, named locally as 24-year-old David Kozak, is thought to have killed his father at a separate location

  • Czech President Petr Pavel has appealed for unity and Saturday has been declared a national day of mourning

  1. Dozens of officers working to establish facts, police saypublished at 10:54 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    The authorities are now giving some more detail about the deaths of a man and his daughter in Klanovicky forest last week, which they say may be linked to Thursday's killings.

    The lead investigator says police have dozens, if not hundreds, of people working on the case.

    All people in the area at the time of the killings have been found and excluded as potential perpetrators, he adds.

  2. Police confirm they're investigating link to forest murders last weekpublished at 10:47 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    We're now hearing from the lead investigator, who begins by giving a timeline of events.

    He also confirms police are investigating the possibility that the gunman was connected to the murders of two people in a forest near Prague last week.

  3. 'I saw piles of ammunition in the corridors'published at 10:45 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    The director of Prague Police is still speaking - he's now saying that he believes the fast arrival of police prevented more bloodshed.

    "I saw piles of ammunition in the corridors, it was incredible," he recalls.

    He believes the gunman would have gone on to harm more people if he hadn't gone to the university's balcony, "where he eventually died".

  4. Officers monitoring social media for threatspublished at 10:44 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    The authorities say they are now on alert for people who may be inspired by Thursday's attack and are focussed on imminent threats - including on social media.

    "We will try and distinguish between inane threats and real threats," says the Prague Police director.

    He adds that they will try and keep the public and media informed "in due time".

  5. Police director defends officers receiving criticismpublished at 10:42 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    The director of Prague Police responds to criticism about the speed at which his officers used their own guns.

    “You should understand that it was an active situation," he says, adding there were many people around watching as the situation unfolded.

    He says police were conscious of causing more harm by using their guns too quickly: "It would be unfortunate if police used a gun and if there was an accident, and people ... were killed or injured as a result of that accident.”

    Officers used their guns when they were sure they wouldn't hurt anybody else, he says, before stressing that police responded to the attack in four minutes.

    "There were four minutes between the first call and the first officers stepping into the building," he tells reporters.

  6. All victims identified and families informed, police saypublished at 10:37 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    The Prague Police director continues, saying the force has now identified all 14 victims of yesterday's attack, as well as the gunman, and contacted their family members.

    There have been slightly varying figures about the number of people who died - we're looking into this now.

    The director thanks psychologists and non-profit organisations who are helping them with supporting the families of the victims, officers and other people affected.

    "I was there, I was severely impacted," he adds.

  7. Police explain why students exited building with hands held uppublished at 10:32 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    Prague Police's director is speaking now. He begins by saying police units were active outside the building, as well as inside.

    The gunman was shooting at people on the outside of the building and injured three, he says.

    He also explains that they were not sure if the attacker had accomplices, which is why the evacuated students had to come out with their hands up.

  8. Students barricaded themselves into rooms - policepublished at 10:25 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    The authorities now explain how students had barricaded themselves into rooms of the university building - and police went floor-by-floor to get them out.

    In some instances, police had to use force to get through and get students out, they say.

    “We created a safe corridor and through the safe corridor, everybody was told to go outside," the official tells journalists.

  9. Chaos at scene explainedpublished at 10:22 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    First aid was provided to injured people at the scene, police say, and an evacuation of the university building then began.

    A police official shows more bodycam footage and explains that officers' priority was to stop bleeding where necessary and provide immediate care.

    Their aim was "to stabilise people to be able to take them outside to the ambulances," he adds.

  10. Police confirm gunman shot himselfpublished at 10:20 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    The police official leading this section of the news conference now says that when responding to Thursday's shooting, officer received word that the attacker was on the roof of the university.

    He says the gunman later shot and killed himself after seeing that police were encircling him "from all directions".

    This is reported to have happened at around 15:19 local time (14:19 GMT).

  11. Police show media bodycam footagepublished at 10:12 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    Police show bodycam footage at a presser

    The press conference has begun - police are showing assembled journalists what appears to be bodycam footage from the officers who tried to intervene in the shooting yesterday.

    In it, you can see people running away in the corridors of Charles University, where the attack happened.

    Alongside this, a police official is explaining how officers responded.

  12. Head of musicology at Charles University among those killedpublished at 10:04 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023
    Breaking

    The Czech Interior Ministry says one of those killed in Thursday's attack at Prague's Charles University was Lenka Hlavkova - head of the Institute of Musicology at the university's Faculty of Arts.

    The Czech government also says that three of those injured are foreign nationals - one from the Netherlands and two from the UAE.

  13. Police to hold news conference shortlypublished at 09:58 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    We are expecting to hear from the Czech Police at 11:00 Prague time (10:00 GMT).

    Stay with us as we will bring you the latest.

  14. 'I can't get it out of my head'published at 09:54 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    An eyewitness, Professor Radek Samik, who was inside the faculty when the shooting took place has told the BBC: "It's still coming back to me, I can't get it out of my head.

    "Even though I didn't see much, but it's just the sheer experience that you go through, it's a shock."

    As the centre of Prague is returning to normal, the country is still in a state of shock and many cultural and sporting events have been cancelled.

  15. Watch: Dramatic video shows people leaping from building ledgepublished at 09:45 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    Dramatic video of the events in Prague emerged after the attack, with one showing people leaping from building ledges to safety.

    Media caption,

    Prague: Dramatic video from city shows people seen leaping from building ledge

  16. The arts faculty is in the heart of historic Praguepublished at 09:41 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    Let's take a look at where the events in Prague unfolded.

    A man was seen with a rifle on the ledge of the Charles University Arts faculty, which is located on Jan Palach Square in central Prague.

    The arts faculty is right in the heart of historic Prague, just a stone's throw from the Old Town Square and the picturesque 14th-century Charles Bridge over the River Vltava.

    Map of Prague showing shooting locationImage source, .
  17. Prague shooting - what we knowpublished at 09:39 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    Here's what we know about the events of yesterday in the Czech capital:

    • Police began searching for the 24-year-old gunman, who was a student, three hours before the mass shooting after his father was found dead in a village west of Prague
    • The head of the Czech Police told reporters the man "wanted to kill himself"
    • Police began evacuating a building at Charles University where he was due to have a lecture, but he went to a different part of the Faculty of Arts
    • At 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) police received the first reports of a shooting in the centre of the city
    • All the victims were shot dead inside the building. A further 25 people were injured
    • Police said the gunman had a "huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition" and praised officers for acting quickly to prevent further deaths
    • Twenty minutes after the shooting began police said they found the gunman's body
    • At a news conference on Thursday evening officials said they were investigating whether the suspect was responsible for killing a man and his baby daughter in a forest near Prague last week
  18. Czech police to give an update on Prague mass shootingpublished at 09:37 Greenwich Mean Time 22 December 2023

    Andrew Humphrey
    Live reporter

    Hello and welcome to our coverage of the mass shooting on Thursday in Prague.

    The attack at Prague's Charles University was the worst in the country's history, leaving at least 14 people dead and 24 wounded.

    The gunman has been identified as a 24-year-old student at the university, called David Kozak.

    The police in Czech Republic have said they are still trying to determine the motive behind mass shooting, but we are expecting an update this morning and will bring you the latest. Stay with us.