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Kovář entered the building at about 12:30 p.m., during lunch, the restaurant's busiest weekday time. Around 20 people were thought to have been in the restaurant at the time.<ref name="CzechShooting">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31608932|title=At least 9 people die in shooting in Czech Republic|publisher=BBC News|date=February 24, 2015|accessdate=February 24, 2015}}</ref> While on stairs leading to the restaurant, which is situated on the first floor, Petr Gabriel, who was rushing to the bathroom, got ahead of the would-be perpetrator.<ref name="idnes-gabriel" /> Kovář, armed with CZ 75B (semiautomatic full size pistol) and Alfa 820 (six shot subcompact revolver),<ref name="idnes-guns" /> opened fire without any warning immediately after entering the restaurant, shooting the victims directly in the head. Some people ran away through the back door, eight were either killed immediately or died soon afterwards. One female victim, who was shot in the chest, managed to leave the restaurant too, while Gabriel remained hidden in the restaurant's bathroom.<ref name="idnes-gabriel">{{cite web|url=http://zlin.idnes.cz/svedek-strelby-v-uherskem-brodu-dny-/zlin-zpravy.aspx?c=A150224_162403_zlin-zpravy_kol|title= Zachránilo mě, že jsem šel na záchod, líčí muž útok střelce v hospodě [I was saved by going to the bathroom]|date=25 February 2015|publisher=idnes.cz|accessdate=25 February 2015|language=Czech}}</ref>
Kovář entered the building at about 12:30 p.m., during lunch, the restaurant's busiest weekday time. Around 20 people were thought to have been in the restaurant at the time.<ref name="CzechShooting">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31608932|title=At least 9 people die in shooting in Czech Republic|publisher=BBC News|date=February 24, 2015|accessdate=February 24, 2015}}</ref> While on stairs leading to the restaurant, which is situated on the first floor, Petr Gabriel, who was rushing to the bathroom, got ahead of the would-be perpetrator.<ref name="idnes-gabriel" /> Kovář, armed with CZ 75B (semiautomatic full size pistol) and Alfa 820 (six shot subcompact revolver),<ref name="idnes-guns" /> opened fire without any warning immediately after entering the restaurant, shooting the victims directly in the head. Some people ran away through the back door, eight were either killed immediately or died soon afterwards. One female victim, who was shot in the chest, managed to leave the restaurant too, while Gabriel remained hidden in the restaurant's bathroom.<ref name="idnes-gabriel">{{cite web|url=http://zlin.idnes.cz/svedek-strelby-v-uherskem-brodu-dny-/zlin-zpravy.aspx?c=A150224_162403_zlin-zpravy_kol|title= Zachránilo mě, že jsem šel na záchod, líčí muž útok střelce v hospodě [I was saved by going to the bathroom]|date=25 February 2015|publisher=idnes.cz|accessdate=25 February 2015|language=Czech}}</ref>


The authorities received first distress call from a person that escaped from the restaurant at 12:38 p.m.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> The first police car reached the building at 12:47.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> In the Czech Republic, all policemen are armed and most have body armor available in their cars. The two officers who were first to reach the place immediately entered the building with body armor on and guns drawn.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> Kovář was hiding behind a bar opposite to the door and opened fire on the policemen immediately as they got to the entrance door.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> The policemen saw that there are people lying on the ground and sitting on chairs between them and the shooter.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> Not knowing the status of the people they saw, the policemen decided not to return fire and wait for arrival of tactical unit.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> By this time the first ambulance car has reached the place, taking away the wounded female victim that managed to run out of the establishment.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> At 12:56, the perpetrator called the [[Prima televize|Prima]] TV station crime news reporter, claiming that he was being harassed by multiple people and that he had hostages who he threatened to kill.<ref name="CzechShooting">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31608932|title=At least 9 people die in shooting in Czech Republic|publisher=BBC News|date=February 24, 2015|accessdate=February 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name="EightDead"/> The journalist who spoke to the gunman called the police,<ref name="RaziyeAkkoc">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/czechrepublic/11432241/Czech-restaurant-shooting-nine-killed-reports-say.html|title=Czech restaurant shooting: at least eight killed, live updates|date=24 February 2015|work=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> who had, however, already been sending all available units to the place.<ref name="poltydenik1">{{cite web|url=http://www.novinky.cz/krimi/362574-policiste-pred-zasahem-se-strelcem-vyjednavali.html|title=Policie odkryla podrobnosti střelby v Uherském Brodě [Police published details of the shooting]|date=25 February 2015|publisher=Policejní týdeník|accessdate=25 February 2015|language=Czech}}</ref>
The authorities received first distress call from a person that escaped from the restaurant at 12:38 p.m.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> The first police car reached the building at 12:47.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> In the Czech Republic, all policemen are armed and most have body armor available in their cars. The two officers who were first to reach the place immediately entered the building with body armor on and guns drawn.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> Kovář was hiding behind a bar opposite to the door and opened fire on the policemen immediately as they got to the entrance door.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> The policemen saw people lying on the ground and sitting on chairs between them and the shooter.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> Not knowing the status of the people they saw, the policemen decided not to return fire and wait for arrival of tactical unit.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> By this time the first ambulance car has reached the place, taking away the wounded female victim that managed to run out of the establishment.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> At 12:56, the perpetrator called the [[Prima televize|Prima]] TV station crime news reporter, claiming that he was being harassed by multiple people and that he had hostages who he threatened to kill.<ref name="CzechShooting">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31608932|title=At least 9 people die in shooting in Czech Republic|publisher=BBC News|date=February 24, 2015|accessdate=February 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name="EightDead"/> The journalist who spoke to the gunman called the police,<ref name="RaziyeAkkoc">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/czechrepublic/11432241/Czech-restaurant-shooting-nine-killed-reports-say.html|title=Czech restaurant shooting: at least eight killed, live updates|date=24 February 2015|work=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> who had, however, already been sending all available units to the place.<ref name="poltydenik1">{{cite web|url=http://www.novinky.cz/krimi/362574-policiste-pred-zasahem-se-strelcem-vyjednavali.html|title=Policie odkryla podrobnosti střelby v Uherském Brodě [Police published details of the shooting]|date=25 February 2015|publisher=Policejní týdeník|accessdate=25 February 2015|language=Czech}}</ref>


A police negotiator contacted Kovář by phone.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> During negotiations, Kovář claimed to have hostages, although all people inside were most probably already dead.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> The claim delayed police entry into the building. The tactical team breached the building at 14:23. Upon its entry, the perpetrator immediately committed suicide.<ref name="idnes1">{{cite web|url=http://policejnidenik.cz/policie-odkryla-podrobnosti-strelby-v-uherskem-brode/|title=Střelba v restauraci v Uherském Brodě On-line reportáž [Shooting in a restaurant in Uherský Brod - online coverage]|date=24 February 2015|work=Mladá fronta DNES|accessdate=24 February 2015|language=Czech}}</ref><ref name="KarelJanicek">{{cite web|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/article/Mayor-8-dead-in-Czech-restaurant-shooting-6098375.php|title=9 dead including gunman in Czech restaurant shooting|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=February 24, 2015|accessdate=February 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name="novinky2">{{cite web|url=http://www.novinky.cz/krimi/362574-policiste-pred-zasahem-se-strelcem-vyjednavali.html|title=Policisté před zásahem se střelcem vyjednávali [The policemen were negotiating with the perpetrator they stormed the building]|date=25 February 2015|publisher=novinky.cz|accessdate=25 February 2015|language=Czech}}</ref> Apart from stun grenades, the policemen haven't fired a single shot.<ref name="poltydenik1" />
A police negotiator contacted Kovář by phone.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> During negotiations, Kovář claimed to have hostages, although all people inside were most probably already dead.<ref name="poltydenik1" /> The claim delayed police entry into the building. The tactical team breached the building at 14:23. Upon its entry, the perpetrator immediately committed suicide.<ref name="idnes1">{{cite web|url=http://policejnidenik.cz/policie-odkryla-podrobnosti-strelby-v-uherskem-brode/|title=Střelba v restauraci v Uherském Brodě On-line reportáž [Shooting in a restaurant in Uherský Brod - online coverage]|date=24 February 2015|work=Mladá fronta DNES|accessdate=24 February 2015|language=Czech}}</ref><ref name="KarelJanicek">{{cite web|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/article/Mayor-8-dead-in-Czech-restaurant-shooting-6098375.php|title=9 dead including gunman in Czech restaurant shooting|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=February 24, 2015|accessdate=February 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name="novinky2">{{cite web|url=http://www.novinky.cz/krimi/362574-policiste-pred-zasahem-se-strelcem-vyjednavali.html|title=Policisté před zásahem se střelcem vyjednávali [The policemen were negotiating with the perpetrator they stormed the building]|date=25 February 2015|publisher=novinky.cz|accessdate=25 February 2015|language=Czech}}</ref> Apart from stun grenades, the policemen haven't fired a single shot.<ref name="poltydenik1" />

Revision as of 20:33, 25 February 2015

Uherský Brod shooting
Location of Zlín Region in Czech Republic
LocationDružba restaurant, Uherský Brod, Zlín Region, Czech Republic
DateFebruary 24, 2015
12:30 p.m.
Attack type
Mass shooting, murder–suicide
WeaponsCZ 75B[1]
Alfa 820[1]
Deaths9 (including the perpetrator)
Injured1
PerpetratorsZdeněk Kovář, 63[2]

On February 24, 2015, a mass shooting occurred at the Družba restaurant in the town of Uherský Brod, Czech Republic.[3] Nine people were killed, including the gunman, 63-year-old Zdeněk Kovář, and one other person was injured.[4] Uherský Brod is 260 kilometers (160 miles) east-southeast of the Czech capital Prague.[5] It became one of the two worst mass murders in the country's peacetime history, alongside a 1973 vehicular rampage committed by Olga Hepnarová.[6][7]

Shooting

Kovář entered the building at about 12:30 p.m., during lunch, the restaurant's busiest weekday time. Around 20 people were thought to have been in the restaurant at the time.[8] While on stairs leading to the restaurant, which is situated on the first floor, Petr Gabriel, who was rushing to the bathroom, got ahead of the would-be perpetrator.[9] Kovář, armed with CZ 75B (semiautomatic full size pistol) and Alfa 820 (six shot subcompact revolver),[1] opened fire without any warning immediately after entering the restaurant, shooting the victims directly in the head. Some people ran away through the back door, eight were either killed immediately or died soon afterwards. One female victim, who was shot in the chest, managed to leave the restaurant too, while Gabriel remained hidden in the restaurant's bathroom.[9]

The authorities received first distress call from a person that escaped from the restaurant at 12:38 p.m.[10] The first police car reached the building at 12:47.[10] In the Czech Republic, all policemen are armed and most have body armor available in their cars. The two officers who were first to reach the place immediately entered the building with body armor on and guns drawn.[10] Kovář was hiding behind a bar opposite to the door and opened fire on the policemen immediately as they got to the entrance door.[10] The policemen saw people lying on the ground and sitting on chairs between them and the shooter.[10] Not knowing the status of the people they saw, the policemen decided not to return fire and wait for arrival of tactical unit.[10] By this time the first ambulance car has reached the place, taking away the wounded female victim that managed to run out of the establishment.[10] At 12:56, the perpetrator called the Prima TV station crime news reporter, claiming that he was being harassed by multiple people and that he had hostages who he threatened to kill.[8][11] The journalist who spoke to the gunman called the police,[12] who had, however, already been sending all available units to the place.[10]

A police negotiator contacted Kovář by phone.[10] During negotiations, Kovář claimed to have hostages, although all people inside were most probably already dead.[10] The claim delayed police entry into the building. The tactical team breached the building at 14:23. Upon its entry, the perpetrator immediately committed suicide.[13][14][15] Apart from stun grenades, the policemen haven't fired a single shot.[10]

After having secured the place, the police let in a large number of medical personnel, however the only person alive was Gabriel, who remained hidden at the bathroom.[10]

Perpetrator

The alleged perpetrator, named as 63-year-old Kovář, lived together with his wife in a house not far from the scene of the shooting. Neighbors described them as deranged, both possibly being mentally ill and known for being loud and verbally abusing their neighbors.[16] Kovář was a son of a worker in the local Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod, the largest small arms manufacturer in the country. Formerly working as an electrician, he had been unemployed for at least a decade.[17]

Kovář was a holder of a gun license and legally owned both of the guns he used.[1] [17] A local policeman stated that prior to the shooting, the police had repeatedly dealt with Kovář and his wife's misdemeanors against public order.[17] According to Section 23 and 27 of the Czech Firearms Act, the police are obliged to revoke a gun license in case that the licensee committed more than one misdemeanor against public order in the period of three years. Despite the above mentioned encounters with the police, Kovář still had his gun license at the time of the shooting.[18]

Aftermath

Terrorism was ruled out as a motive. Czech Minister of Interior, Milan Chovanec, said on Twitter that the shooting was not a terrorist incident but the actions of a "crazed individual".[12][11]

Reactions

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who was on a trip to South Korea at the time, said in a statement, "I am shocked by the tragic attack that happened today in Uherský Brod. I would like to express my deepest sorrow and condolences to the families and relatives of the victims."[19][7] Mayor Patrik Kunčar also said, "I'm shaken to the core by this incident. I could not have dreamed something like this could happen here, in a restaurant that I'm so familiar with."[20]

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, said in a post on Twitter that he was "horrified" by the shooting and called it "[a]n act of unspeakable violence". He sent his condolences to the victims, their families, and the Czech public.[21] German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her condolences to Sobotka through a telegram message, in which she said, "It is with great distress that I found out about the horrible attack in Uherský Brod, which killed many people. It fills me with deep sadness if people become victims of random violence. I'm convinced that the people of Uherský Brod and of the entire Czech Republic will react with great solidarity to this tragic event."[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Do restaurace vzal střelec své legální zbraně, zjistila policie [The shooter used his legally owned guns]" (in Czech). idnes.cz. February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  2. ^ "FOTO, VIDEO: Tragédie v Uherském Brodě: Známe jméno šíleného střelce [Pictures and video of the tragedy in Uherský Brod - We know the name of the gunman]" (in Czech). denik.cz. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  3. ^ "Gunman kills eight in Czech restaurant then kills himself". Reuters. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  4. ^ "9 dead including gunman in Czech restaurant shooting". The Big Story. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  5. ^ "9 dead including gunman in Czech restaurant shooting". mail.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  6. ^ "České masakry: Hepnarová, lesní vrah, blázen z Frenštátu... [Czech massacres: Hepnarová, forest killer, crazy man from Frenštát]" (in Czech). nova.cz. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  7. ^ a b "8 dead, plus gunman, in Czech restaurant shooting rampage". Fox News Channel. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "At least 9 people die in shooting in Czech Republic". BBC News. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Zachránilo mě, že jsem šel na záchod, líčí muž útok střelce v hospodě [I was saved by going to the bathroom]" (in Czech). idnes.cz. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Policie odkryla podrobnosti střelby v Uherském Brodě [Police published details of the shooting]" (in Czech). Policejní týdeník. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Eight dead in gun rampage at Czech restaurant". Yahoo! News. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Czech restaurant shooting: at least eight killed, live updates". The Daily Telegraph. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Střelba v restauraci v Uherském Brodě On-line reportáž [Shooting in a restaurant in Uherský Brod - online coverage]". Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech). 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  14. ^ "9 dead including gunman in Czech restaurant shooting". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  15. ^ "Policisté před zásahem se střelcem vyjednávali [The policemen were negotiating with the perpetrator they stormed the building]" (in Czech). novinky.cz. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  16. ^ Ondřej Golis, Šárka Kabátová, Radek Kedroň. "Střelec z restaurace? Kovář byl postrachem sídliště, jeho žena se zabarikádovala [Neighbors were afraid of the Zdeněk Kovář, his wife has barricaded herself in the house]" (in Czech). lidovky.cz. Retrieved 24 February 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ a b c Aleš Fuks. "Žena střelce z Brodu policisty prý pustí do domu, až se vrátí manžel [The shooters wife alleges she will let the police into the house upon husband's return]" (in Czech). novinky.cz. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  18. ^ Parliament of the Czech Republic (2002), Act No. 119/2002 Coll., on Firearms and Ammunition (in Czech), Prague{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  19. ^ "At Least 8 Killed In Shooting In Eastern Czech Republic". The Huffington Post. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  20. ^ "Nine dead in Czech Republic restaurant shooting". The Guardian. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  21. ^ "Czech restaurant shooting: RECAP". Mirror. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  22. ^ "9 dead including gunman in Czech restaurant shooting". Associated Press. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
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