Austria School Shooting: 10 Killed as Gunman Opens Fire
A deadly school shooting has shaken the Austrian city of Graz, leaving several students, at least one adult, and the suspected shooter dead, according to Mayor Elke Kahr. The tragic event was confirmed to the Austrian press agency APA as police launched a major operation following reports of gunfire inside a school building.
Authorities have described the situation as “very unclear” and ongoing, with details still emerging. The police acknowledged the incident on the social media platform X, confirming that shots had been heard within the premises and that officers were deployed immediately. Interior ministry officials have not yet provided additional information.
The attack has drawn reactions from across Europe. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed her shock, stating, “Every child should feel safe at school and be able to learn free from fear and violence.” She extended her condolences to the families and the Austrian people during what she called a “dark moment.”
Austria, a nation of nearly 9.2 million, is known for its safety and ranks among the ten most peaceful countries in the world, according to the Global Peace Index. Violent incidents of this nature are extremely rare. However, Europe has seen a disturbing rise in non-terror-related school attacks in recent years.
In January 2025, an 18-year-old fatally stabbed a student and a teacher in a school in northeastern Slovakia. Just a month before that, a 19-year-old killed a seven-year-old student and injured several others in a primary school attack in Zagreb, Croatia.
In December 2023, a mass shooting at a university in Prague left 14 people dead and 25 injured, carried out by one of the students. Earlier that same year, a 13-year-old boy opened fire at his elementary school in Belgrade, killing eight classmates and a security guard, and injuring six others, including a teacher.
The shooter later turned himself in. These tragedies echo a 2009 school shooting in Winnenden, Germany, where a former pupil killed 15 people before taking his own life.
Though school shootings remain far less common in Europe than in the United States, recent events reveal a troubling pattern of violence affecting schools and universities across the continent.
Investigations into the Graz shooting are ongoing, and further details are expected as authorities work to clarify the circumstances surrounding this latest act of violence.
