Austrian authorities searched Wednesday for why a 21-year-old gunman rushed to shoot 10 people in his former high school and then committed suicide, one of the worst violent outbreaks in the country's modern history.
Police said the man acted alone with a shotgun and a pistol. They opened fire on Tuesday in Graz, Austria's second largest city, and then shot in the bathroom, which is why he opened fire in Graz, Austria's second largest city.
Paul Nitsche, a religious studies teacher at the school, said the incident was difficult to receive correctly, leaving the classroom before the gunman tried to enter and briefly saw him trying to shoot the lock from another door.
“This is something I couldn't imagine before,” he told the National Broadcasting Corporation. “When I ran down the stairwell, I thought to myself, 'This is not true.'”
Some Austrian media said that the young people who have not yet been identified clearly felt bullied, although police have not confirmed this yet. Austrian authorities say the suspect never completed his studies at school.
Police said he left a farewell note without revealing the motive for the attack, adding that the tube bomb found in his home did not work.
The school’s student Ennio Resnik said students and teachers need time to reach an agreement with what happened and demand a few days of peace.
“It's surreal, you can't describe or really understand,” he said. A reporter outside the activity center near the school said that there is counseling for students.
Some students gathered there and cried, while others hugged each other.
Public Security Director-General Franz Ruf said the investigation into motivation is developing rapidly.
“We don't want to speculate on this,” he told ORF on Tuesday night.
He said police were alert to potential imitation attacks, who were threatened at another school in Graz late Tuesday.
Austrian police said a gunman killed at least 10 people in a mass shooting at a high school in Graz on Tuesday. The suspect was a 21-year-old school student who committed suicide. The motivation is not yet known.
Roof said about 17 minutes between the first emergency call from police about the shooting fired at school and the scene declared safe.
The Small Arms Survey in Independent Research Project says Austria is one of Europe's heaviest civilian population. The attack sparked calls for tightening gun laws, including one by Mayor Glaz.
Police said the gun used was legally a suspect, and Ruf said the case is being investigated despite strict Austrian gun laws. “If there are loopholes, they need to be closed,” he said.
Details of the attack gradually emerged.
Austrian police said victims were found on all floors outside and inside the school. About twelve people were injured in the attack, and some were taken seriously.
Austria declared three days of national mourning, and the shootings prompted rare manifestations among often divided political parties. The parents of students and the school’s neighbors worked hard to understand the incident.
Hundreds gathered in the main square of Graz on Tuesday night to honor the victims. Others left flowers outside the school and lit candles. Dozens also lined up to donate blood to survivors.
