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Gunman kills six in Czech hospital, then shoots himself | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
BERLIN — At least six people were shot dead at close range in a hospital waiting room in the Czech Republic on Tuesday before the gunman escaped and then turned his weapon on himself, in a rare mass shooting in this eastern European country. | |
Police hunted for the suspect for several hours before they tracked him down to his vehicle, where he had shot himself in the head. Two other people were injured in the attack at a hospital in the eastern city of Ostrava. | |
The director of the hospital, Jiri Havrlant, told the CTK news agency that the gunman entered the waiting room and started shooting people at a close range. He said one of the wounded is not yet out of danger. | |
Czech president waves mock rifle ‘at journalists’ during news conference | |
The motives for the shooting remained unclear and police said they had strengthened security at “selected soft targets” across the country. | |
It marked the country’s the worst mass shooting since 2015, when a gunman shot eight people and himself in a restaurant in the town of Uhersky Brod. | |
The Czech Republic has some of the least restrictive gun laws in Europe with firearms available to anyone that obtains a license. Gun owners can also apply for a concealed carry permit. | |
The country launched a legal battle against European Union regulations introduced in the wake of the 2015 Paris attacks, which made it harder for Europeans to buy semiautomatic rifles. Prague’s legal challenge was dismissed last week. | |
Ladka Bauerova in Berlin contributed. | Ladka Bauerova in Berlin contributed. |
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