Eight people have been killed in a shooting at a restaurant in the Czech Republic Tuesday afternoon.
The attack took place in the town of Uhersky Brod, some 180 miles south of the capital Prague, at the Droujba (“Friendship”) restaurant.
The motive and circumstances of the shooting are not yet clear, but the town’s mayor Patrik Kuncar has identified the gunman as a 60-year-old resident with mental health issues.
Authorities do not believe the incident is terrorism-related; at least one person has been seriously wounded in addition to those killed.
Kuncar said that the gunman burst into the restaurant suddenly and fired around 25 rounds before turning the gun on himself. Unconfirmed reports say he was armed with two weapons, including a shotgun.
“I’m rattled by this event. I never would have imagined something like this happening here, in a restaurant that I know well,” the mayor told state television Ceska Televize (CT), in comments translated by the Telegraph.
Interior Minister Milan Chovanec confirmed that nine people were murdered in the attack – eight victims plus the gunman himself. Chovanec also emphasized that the killings were the result of a “crazed individual” and not a terrorist attack.
Czech media is reporting that the gunman phoned a popular crime show hosted by Prima TV prior to carrying out the attack. Although details of the call have not been released, journalists were sufficiently alarmed to notify police.
According to a popular Prague-based radio host, the gunman told Prima TV “They’re bullying me. I’m going to take care of this myself.”