BY NBC NEWS
The nation commemorated a national day of sorrow on Saturday at noon, honoring the victims of the deadliest mass slaughter in Czech history, which brought the country to a stop.
At noon, bells tolled and national flags on public buildings were flown at half staff. The nation’s largest church, St. Vitus in Prague, hosted a mass in honor of the victims. The public service was attended by Speakers of both chambers of Parliament as well as President Petr Pavel.
In our own ways, we’re all still shocked, according to Prague Archbishop Jan Graubner. “While it’s important to condemn what happened, we also need to consider the future.”
Czech Rector of Charles University Milena Kralickova emphasized, “Nobody should be left alone in these tough moments,” in her comments toward the close of the Mass. 14 people were murdered in Thursday’s shooting inside the university’s Faculty of Arts.
Other towns and cities had similar religious services, while some Christmas markets canceled or scaled down their offerings in response to increased security.
Czech Twenty-five more people were injured in the university shooting in the center of the Czech capital before the shooter took his own life. The 24-year-old gunman murdered his father earlier in the day and a man and a baby in Prague last week, according to evidence that police and prosecutors have.
An unplanned monument for the victims set up in front of the university’s main building was lit up by a sea of candles.
Czech Among those who came to light candles was Milos Vystrcil, speaker of the Senate, the upper house of parliament. “It’s been a horrible experience for us all, but it still can’t be compared with what the victims had to experience at the time of the attack and what their loved ones have to experience now,” he said.
“I believe that at this point, we need to show them our support, and that’s what we’re all doing right now.”
Czech The names of the fourteen deceased are being revealed one by one. Two employees—Lenka Hlávková, the director of the Institute of Music Sciences—were among them, the institution said. Another was Lucie Spindlerova, a first-year student, according to the Lidove Noviny Daily, where she worked as well.
Czech The gunman was a Faculty of Arts student from the Czech Republic. Investigators don’t believe there is a connection to any radical organizations or ideologies. Authorities said that they thought he acted alone. His motivation is still unclear.
The worst mass shooting in US history occurred in 2015 when a shooter opened fire in the village of Uhersky Brod in the southeast, killing eight people before taking his own life.
