University tragedy: Prague student turns killer, past links to another shooting arise
The shooting occurred on Thursday around 9 a.m. Eastern Time in the Philosophy Department of Charles University at Jan Palach Square in the heart of the Czech capital. The attacker targeted the corridors and lecture halls of the building.
9:12 AM EST, December 23, 2023
The police initially announced that the perpetrator had been 'neutralized', and later revealed that he'd committed suicide. The Czech Ministry of Interior insisted that the attack was not associated with 'international terrorism' and that the killer had acted alone.
The police identified the perpetrator as a 24-year-old university student with no prior criminal record. A substantial quantity of weapons and ammunition was found at his residence. Local media identified the attacker as Czech citizen David Kozak.
The police confirmed that on December 15, he had murdered a young man and his child on the outskirts of Prague. Reports stated that a 32-year-old man and his 2-month-old daughter were shot dead at that time.
A passerby discovered the bodies of the man and child. She initially noticed a stroller and found the man's body two yards away. Police determined that he'd been killed by four shots to the head. Despite an extensive manhunt and multiple days spent combing the surrounding woods, no trace of the assailant was found.
"Ballistic expertise confirmed the match between the weapon used in the Klánovický forest and the weapon found at the university shooter's residence," reported the Czech police.
Media reports suggested that the 24-year-old is also suspected of shooting his father. Investigators haven't ruled out the possibility that he may be a serial killer.
Police Brigadier General Martin Vondrášek announced on Friday that an investigation, conducted based on content published on social media, has suggested that the attacker may have been inspired by 'a similar case in Russia'.
An 18-year-old case draws attention
In relation to these events, Czech media revisited a case from 18 years ago. In 2005, a journalist was shot dead in the city center while trying to defend a woman with a stroller. The attacker shot the journalist and then hid in the forest for three weeks.
What link these two cases? Both attackers, David Kozak and David Lubina, lived in the same place - the village of Hostouň.
