Jump to content

Uherský Brod shooting

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Freddiem (talk | contribs) at 08:09, 25 February 2015 (→Shooting: grammar). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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
WeaponsTwo firearms[1]
Deaths9 (including the perpetrator)
Injured1
PerpetratorsZdeněk Kovář, 62[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 62-year-old Zdeněk Kovář, and one other person was injured.[4] Uherský Brod is 300 kilometers (185 miles) 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

The shooting started at 12:30 p.m. The gunman rushed into the restaurant armed with two guns (described in some sources as two handguns,[8][9] reported in others as one handgun and one shotgun[10]) and fired a total of 25 shots. Eight others were killed, and one woman, a waitress at the restaurant, was left critically wounded from a gunshot wound to the chest.[11][12][13][7] Around 20 people were thought to have been in the restaurant at the time of the shooting.[1] One customer managed to escape being shot by hiding in a restaurant bathroom and remaining there for nearly two hours before being rescued by police.[14]

According to Czech media, the gunman called a Prima TV station prior to the shooting, claiming that he was being harassed by multiple people and that he had hostages who he threatened to kill.[1][12] The journalist who spoke to the gunman called the police,[15] which were however already alerted by people who fled the scene of shooting. The first responding police officers encountered the gunman by the entrance door and exchanged fire with him, preventing his apparent attempt to continue the rampage into the streets of the town. The shooter retreated back to the building and got into contact with the police. During negotiations, he claimed to have hostages, although the only person who remained alive in the building was the wounded waitress. The claim delayed police entry into the building; once they did breach the building, the perpetrator immediately committed suicide.[16][9][17]

Perpetrator

The alleged perpetrator, named as 62-year-old Zdeněk 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.[18] 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.[19]

According to newspapers, Kovář was a holder of a gun license.[19] A local policeman stated that prior to the shooting, the police had repeatedly dealt with Kovář and his wife's misdemeanors against public order.[19] 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. Due to Kovář's previous encounters with the police, it remains unclear how he was able to retain his license.[20]

Aftermath

The shooting came during tensions of further Islamist attacks in Europe following two deadly series of attacks in Paris, France and Copenhagen, Denmark. Czech Minister of Interior, Milan Chovanec, said on Twitter that the shooting was not a terrorist incident but the actions of a "crazed individual".[15][12]

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 Uhersky Brod. I would like to express my deepest sorrow and condolences to the families and relatives of the victims."[21][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."[22]

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.[23] 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 Uhersky 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 Uhersky Brod and of the entire Czech Republic will react with great solidarity to this tragic event."[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "At least 9 people die in shooting in Czech Republic". BBC News. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 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 - World news". mail.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  6. ^ "České masakry: Hepnarová, lesní vrah, blázen z Frenštátu... [Czech massacres: Hepnarová, forest killer, crazy man from Frenštát]". nova.cz (in Czech). 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "8 dead, plus gunman, in Czech restaurant shooting rampage". Fox News. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "9 dead including gunman in Czech restaurant shooting". The Associated Press. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "9 dead including gunman in Czech restaurant shooting". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  10. ^ "Multiple dead in Czech restaurant shooting". Prague Post. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  11. ^ Ivana Kottasova and Laura Smith-Spark (24 February 2015). "Czech Republic: 8 killed plus shooter in restaurant shooting in Uhersky Brod". CNN. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  12. ^ a b c "Eight dead in gun rampage at Czech restaurant". Yahoo! News. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  13. ^ "Czech shooting: 'Crazed' gunman in his 60s kills eight as officials rule out 'terrorism'". Express.co.uk. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  14. ^ "Gunman, eight others killed during shooting at Czech cafe". The Los Angeles Times. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Czech restaurant shooting: at least eight killed, live updates - Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  16. ^ "Střelba v restauraci v Uherském Brodě On-line reportáž [Shooting in a restaurant in Uherský Brod - online coverage]". idnes.cz (in Czech). 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  17. ^ "Policisté před zásahem se střelcem vyjednávali [The policemen were negotiating with the perpetrator they stormed the building]". novinky.cz (in Czech). 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  18. ^ Ondřej Golis, Šárka Kabátová, Radek Kedroň. "Střelec z restaurace? Zdeněk K. byl postrachem sídliště, jeho žena se zabarikádovala [Neighbors were afraid of the Zdeněk K., his wife has barricaded herself in the house]". lidovky.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 24 February 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ 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]". novinky.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  20. ^ 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)
  21. ^ "At Least 8 Killed In Shooting In Eastern Czech Republic". Huffington Post. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  22. ^ "Nine dead in Czech Republic restaurant shooting". The Guardian. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  23. ^ "Czech restaurant shooting: RECAP". Mirror. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uherský_Brod_shooting&oldid=648757968"