Nine people were killed and several others seriously injured in a shooting at a high school in Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, police reported. The shooter was also found dead.
Authorities in the state of Styria, where Graz is the capital, confirmed that shots were fired inside the BORG Dreierschützengasse school, prompting an immediate police response. By 11:30 a.m. local time, the situation was under control, and the school was evacuated safely.
School shootings are rare in Austria, a country with low rates of gun violence.
Between 2000 and 2022, Austria recorded only two public mass shootings, compared to 109 in the United States during the same period, according to Jason R. Silva of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker described the event as a “national tragedy” that has deeply affected the country, emphasizing the shock of such violence in a place meant to be safe and hopeful.
President Alexander Van der Bellen expressed profound sorrow over the loss of young lives and a teacher, calling the horror indescribable.
Vienna’s mayor, Michael Ludwig, extended condolences to victims, families, and those suffering.
Graz, home to about 300,000 people, previously faced a deadly attack in 2015 when a man drove a car into a crowd, killing three and injuring many others.
