Gunman Kills Six in Czech Hospital Before Shooting Himself
Six Dead in Czech Hospital Shooting, Gunman Remains at Large
(Bloomberg) -- A gunman who killed six people and wounded three others in a hospital waiting room in the eastern Czech Republic fatally shot himself after he was tracked down by police.
The 42-year-old shooter gunned down four men and two women in a hospital in the city of Ostrava, 350 kilometers (220 miles) east of the capital Prague. After he fled the scene, hundreds of security officers mounted a manhunt, tracking down to his car with a helicopter, where he turned his weapon on himself, police said on Twitter.
It’s the deadliest lethal mass shooting in the Czech Republic since 2015. Two people were in critical condition and a third was lightly wounded, hospital director Jiri Havrlant told journalists at the scene.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Interior Minister Jan Hamacek headed to the city to oversee the situation. The shooter’s motive remains unknown, and police said he used an unregistered weapon.
Multiple killings are rare in the nation of 10.7 million, which borders Germany and Austria and limits access to firearms by requiring gun owners to pass written and practical tests and psychological screenings.
To contact the reporter on this story: Lenka Ponikelska in Prague at lponikelska1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey, Andrea Dudik
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