Prague bodycam footage shows armed police storm building to take down shooter who gunned down 14
22 December 2023, 12:31
Bodycam footage shows Czech Police storming building during shooting
Dramatic body-worn camera footage shows armed police storming a Prague building to confront a gunman who had killed 14 people.
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The video shows dozens of police officers running up an interior staircase and bursting in through a door, after student David Kozak, 24, opened fire from the roof of a Charles University building on Thursday afternoon.
The footage also shows police escorting terrified students out of the building.
Kozak, who was shooting at people with a large rifle and optic, left another 25 injured - including 10 seriously - as well as the 14 dead.
The gunman appeared calm as he shot at people, including a horror scene caught on camera where he was seen watching two flee and firing on them.
Police ran up to the roof but Kozak is believed to have taken his own life before they got to him.
The attack was the worst mass shooting in Czech history. Police are still trying to work out his motives, although a social media post suggests he was influenced by similar attacks in Russia.
Czech police said that Kozak had earlier killed his own father in his hometown of Hostoun, and was also linked to the killing of a baby and dad almost a week earlier.
Czech police said: "We are working very seriously with the fact that the attacker from the Faculty of Philosophy is also responsible for the two victims from the end of last week in Klánovický les,", according to Czech media outlet iRozhlas.
"I personally spoke with the head of the Prague criminal investigators.
"They carried out a huge number of actions and it was not possible for anyone to find out the identity of the suspect by Thursday."
They also revealed a caller told police they were going to follow Kozak's "example... and start shooting" but was detained
Police found that Kozak had a shotgun. Officers in a press conference on Friday said they found "piles of ammunition - unbelievable quantities" at the scene.
Kozak had written on Telegram about how he wanted to carry out a school shooting and had been inspired by similar attacks in Russia.
During the attack, terrified students had to barricade themselves in rooms while others fled from the area with their hands up.
One man tried to shout "shoot here, you f***er!' to try and distract him as he picked off terrified people below.
A British dad was with his family in the square near the building.
"My daughter said, 'Dad, look up there, there's a guy on the roof'," he told The Sun.
"And all of a sudden it just went mental, it sounded like a load of firecrackers.
"I would have said about 30 people got shot. There was a guy lying dead on the right-hand side of the square. He was shot in the chest."
The Czech government announced it would hold a day of mourning after Kozak's attack.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a statement on Thursday: “We are all shocked by this horrendous act.
"It is hard to find the words to express condemnation on the one hand and, on the other, the pain and sorrow that our entire society is feeling in these days before Christmas."
