David Kozák
David Kozák | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of David Kozák | |
| Born | 12 September 1999 |
| Died | 21 December 2023 (aged 24) Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic |
| Cause of death | Suicide by gunshot |
| Education | Charles University |
| Known for | Perpetrating the 2023 Prague shootings |
| Details | |
| Date | 15 and 21 December 2023 |
| Location(s) | Prague and Hostouň, Czech Republic |
| Killed | 17 (1 indirectly)[a][b][1] |
| Injured | 25 |
| Weapons | |
David Kozák (12 September 1999 – 21 December 2023) was a Czech mass murderer and postgraduate student at Charles University. He is responsible for the 2023 Prague shootings in which he attacked the Faculty of Arts in Prague, and killed a man and his infant daughter in Klánovice six days prior.[2][3] Kozák also murdered his own father prior to attacking the university.[4] After the shootings, he killed himself just before police reached him.[5]
Biography[edit]
Kozák was born on 12 September 1999, in the Czech Republic. Little is known about his early life, apart from the fact that he lived in the village of Hostouň, about 9 kilometers west of Prague. Sometime after graduating high school, Kozák began studying history at Charles University in Prague.
Kozák successfully defended his bachelor's thesis at the Institute of World History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, entitled The Antagonism problematics of Galician Peasant Revolt and Kraków Uprising in the year of 1846. The supervisor was professor František Stellner; the thesis was defended with an excellent grade.[6] Kozák was subsequently awarded the Marian Szyjkowski Award.[7]
Prior to the shooting, Kozák is not known to have been diagnosed with any mental health issues.[8] He also did not have a criminal record, which allowed him to get a gun permit.[9] Kozák owned at least eight firearms, including the ones that would be used in the shootings.[10]
Murders[edit]
On 15 December 2023, Kozák is believed to have murdered a 32-year-old man and his two-month old daughter in the Klánovice Forest in Prague.[11] The motive for the killings is currently not known. However, some have pointed out that the case is similar to the murders committed by Viktor Kalivoda in 2005, wherein he murdered three random people in preparation for a mass killing in Prague.[12][13] After the murders, Kozák was one of about 4,000 different suspects in the case, though police were unable to prevent the subsequent attack.[14][15]
Six days later, on 21 December, Kozák murdered his father before travelling to the Faculty of Arts, Charles University main building in Prague.[16] There, he opened fire on students and faculty inside the building, killing 14 people and wounding 22 others.[17] Kozák also fired at police and bystanders from the fourth-floor balcony, wounding three of them.[18] After being engaged by a police officer, Kozák committed suicide by shooting himself.[19] The entire attack lasted about 20 minutes.
Shortly after the attack, police searched his home and found a letter in which he confessed to the murders in Klánovice.[20] Improvised explosive devices were also found in his home.[21] No motive has been given for his attack. The shootings are the deadliest mass murder in Czech history, surpassing the 2015 Uherský Brod shooting.
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Kassam, Ashifa (29 December 2023). "Prague university gunman 'confessed' to earlier killings of baby and her father". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ Evans, Holly (2023-12-24). "The Russian school shootings that inspired Prague gunman to carry out university massacre". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "Czech mass shooting: Gunman confessed to shooting baby in woods". 2023-12-28. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ https://abcnews.go.com/International/prague-university-shooting-killed-dozens-wounded/story?id=105841510
- ^ https://apnews.com/article/czech-republic-shooting-university-14-killed-gun-legislation-fcdea65f52828b83806db721474872e8
- ^ Kozák, David (2022). Problematika antagonismu haličského rolnického a krakovského povstání v roce 1846 [The Antagonism problematics of Galician Peasant Revolt and Kraków Uprising in the year of 1846] (in Czech). Prague: Institute of World History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University.
- ^ "Výsledky 5. ročníku soutěže Mariana Szyjkowského". instytutpolski.pl (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ https://cmp.seznam.cz/nastaveni-souhlasu?return_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.seznamzpravy.cz%2Fclanek%2Fdomaci%2Dkauzy%2Dzalobkyne%2Dpromluvila%2Do%2Dmotivu%2Dvraha%2Dz%2Dfakulty%2Dnetrpel%2Ddusevni%2Dporuchou%2Drekla%2D250652%3Fcwreturn%3D1
- ^ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67797755
- ^ https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/21/europe/prague-university-shooting-intl/index.html
- ^ https://www.czechjournal.cz/twisted-trails-prague-university-shooters-sinister-link-to-klanovice-forest-murders/
- ^ https://zbrojnice.com/2023/12/20/klanovicky-vrah-beha-na-svobode-zachovejte-ostrazitost/
- ^ https://archiv.hn.cz/c1-67279780-klanovicky-vrah-je-na-svobode-mohl-to-byt-nacvik-masove-vrazdy-varoval-den-pred-strelbou-na-fakulte-specializovany-server
- ^ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67830858
- ^ https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/praha-filozoficka-fakulta-univerzita-karlova-ff-uk-strelba-v-praze.A231222_084703_domaci_seel
- ^ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prague-mass-shooting-motive-sought/
- ^ https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/12/21/school-shooting-in-downtown-prague-leaves-several-dead-dozens-wounded-police-say/
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-BsqgsAO3s
- ^ https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-kauzy-online-policie-rekne-novinky-k-zabiti-14-lidi-243237
- ^ https://tass.com/society/1727271
- ^ https://ekonomickydenik.cz/popravil-otce-tremi-ranami-do-hlavy-nastavil-vybusny-system-policie-presto-pracovala-s-verzi-sebevrazdy/