Prague shooting: Ten people killed as gunman opens fire on university

Dozens more were injured in the shooting

A gunman opened fire from a roof at a university in central Prague, leaving 10 people dead and about 30 others injured in what is believed to be the worst fatal shooting since Czech independence 30 years ago.

The shooting took place at Charles University in Jan Palach Square, where classes were still going on two days ahead of the scheduled Christmas break.

Prague region’s governor, Bohuslav Svoboda, said the shooter, who has not yet been unidentified, had been “eliminated” and fell from the roof of the university’s faculty of arts building after opening fire on the square. He added the philosophy department of the university had been evacuated.

An ambulance drives over a bridge towards the Charles University in central Prague, where Czech police said a shooting in a university building in central Prague has left "dead and wounded people".

Prague’s emergency services confirmed that 11 people had died, including the killer. It said about 30 others suffered various injuries, including nine who are said to be in a serious condition. It is believed the attacker was operating alone.

Pavel Nedoma, the director of Rudolfinum Gallery, which also is located in the square, told Czech public television he saw someone shooting from a walkway of the Faculty of Arts – which is reported to be on an upper level - toward the nearby Manes bridge across the Vltava River.

He said: "I saw a young man standing on the ground with a gun in his hands. He shot repeatedly with certain delays, from a weapon, at the Mánes bridge. Then he fired, put his hands up and threw the gun on the road. Then the policemen started to appear.”

Tom Leese, 34, a video producer and his wife Rachael, 31, an account director, who are on their honeymoon in Czechia, were having a drink in the Slivovitz Museum, close to where the shooting occurred.

Mr Leese said: “A policeman came in and started shouting loudly in what I assume was Czech. I asked for it in English and he said there was an active shooter and to stay inside and stay down.

“The staff were very calm, turned all the lights off very quickly and urged us to stay calm, the restaurant was relatively quiet. The policeman left urgently and we stood in the corner of the restaurant.”

He added: “We were meant to be having dinner at the restaurant right by the building tonight and were going to pop in for a drink earlier on, but we crossed the bridge instead.”

The couple, from Merstham in Surrey, were kept in the the museum for over an hour, hearing sirens outside.

Czech prime minister Petr Fiala cancelled his scheduled events in France and returned to Prague following the incident.