Terror on the streets as gunman shoots six dead

A GUNMAN shot dead six members of a Roma family and another woman in the Slovak capital, Bratislava, yesterday before killing himself.

• The gunman scans the rooftops during the battle as police try to end his rampage Picture: Getty

Fourteen more people were wounded in a gun battle with police, including one officer shot in the head.

The motive of the gunman, who was a Slovak aged about 50, and his identity were still being investigated, Police Chief Jaroslav Spisiak said.

"He was alone. He fired at everything that moved during his escape bid, the policemen surrounded him … they made it impossible for him to escape," Mr Spisiak told reporters near the block of flats where the shooting took place. Interior minister Daniel Lipsic said six of the victims were members of the mostly poor Roma minority.

"We do not know the motive yet, I do not want to speculate if it was or was not a racist motive," he added.

There have been minor clashes in Slovakia between Roma and the majority population.