At least 11 people were killed and several others injured in a school shooting Tuesday in the southern Austrian city of Graz.
A spokesperson for the Graz Regional Hospital told NBC News that 11 people had died following the incident at the BORG Dreierschützengasse school, a secondary school located in the northwest of the city. Police said the suspected perpetrator was among the dead.
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WATCH HEREAustrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said at a press conference Tuesday that nine lives were "taken from us, including six females and three males." He added that 12 people were also injured. The Graz Regional Hospital said later that a women who was wounded died of her injuries.
The police added that they had identified the suspected shooter as a 21-year-old from Graz, adding that he appeared to have died in the bathroom by suicide.
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SIGN UP The shooter used two guns that were later recovered from the school, the police said, adding that there was only one suspect involved in the shooting.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said Tuesday that the shooting marked “a dark day” in the country’s history.
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“My thoughts, considerations and deepest sympathies with the people who have suffered a loss... in this terrible, horrible event,” Stocker said.
He added that the next three days would mark a period of mourning during which Austria would pay its respects to the victims, holding a minute of silence Wednesday and flying the flag at half-staff at all public buildings.
“Solving conflict through violence should never be a part of our lives,” said Stocker, adding “our schools have to remain spaces of peace, where our children can learn and grow without any danger.”
Styrian State Police Director Gerald Ortner said Tuesday that the police had received emergency calls from the location of the incident around 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. E.T.), and arrived on site within a few minutes. A special task force and an ambulance were also present, he added.
Earlier in the day, Austrian police confirmed the incident was no longer active in a series of posts on X after it carried out an operation at the school.
Ortner added that more than 300 police officers were deployed to ensure an evacuation and the school was cordoned off after several emergency services, tactical units and a helicopter had been deployed to the area.
An investigation is currently ongoing with the State Crime Office of Styria, where Graz is located, the police said, adding that it had put a crisis intervention team in place to help the victims.
The victims were earlier taken to the nearby Helmut List Hall events space for emergency care, before being transferred to a hospital. A meeting point was set up for the students’ parents at the ASKÖ football stadium, police said on X.
While Graz is Austria's second largest city, it's still relatively small when compared with major U.S. cities, with a population of around 300,000.
In a press statement Tuesday, police asked the public to “stay away from the area” and to “strictly follow the instructions of the emergency services.” They added that they had set up a platform for tips or other observations.
In a statement on X, Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen said “there is nothing that can ease the pain at the moment, which the parents, the grandparents, the siblings, the friends of those killed are feeling.”
“These were adolescents, who had their whole life ahead of them,” he said. “This horror cannot be put into words.”
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