A police officer secures the area following the shooting at one of the buildings of Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, December 21, 2023.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
A shooter at a Prague university killed several people and injured dozens of others on Thursday before being “eliminated” by police.
Czech police said shortly after 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) that it was responding to a school shooting at Prague’s Jan Palach Square, before reporting it had “eliminated” the shooter.
“The entire building is currently being evacuated and there are several dead and tens of injured at the site,” police said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
An email sent to staff and students at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, seen by Reuters, had said a shooter was in one of its buildings and had told staff to “stay put”.
“Don’t go anywhere, if you’re in the offices, lock them and place furniture in front of the door, turn off the lights,” the email said.
The police department said the square has been sealed off. It urged people also to leave the surrounding streets and stay inside.
Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said no other shooter was at the scene, but he urged people to cooperate with police.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala canceled his scheduled events and was heading for Prague.