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Austrians held a candlelight vigil to mourn the country’s deadliest mass shooting, which left eleven people dead.
The country is reeling after yesterday, a former student of Borg Dreirschutzengasse Secondary School in Graz opened fire as students were taking exams.
Eleven people have died to date from the shooting, with seven females and three males confirmed among the many dead – the shooter killed himself in the toilet.
Yesterday evening, residents of Austria’s second-largest city gathered in sombre silence to reflect.
Hundreds cried, prayed and stood watch over dozens of lit candles within the major town square.
Attendee Felix Platzer told Reuters: ‘Whenever you hear about it, you have got a lot sympathy for the people, perhaps you can have known someone.
‘That is an example of solidarity, and also you grieve together. Together it is less complicated to manage.’
In a press conference after the shooting, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said the country would enter three days of mourning, with the flag flown at half mast.
‘That such a protected space was hit by such a violent act leaves us speechless,’ he said.
‘‘Today is about empathy. It’s about cohesion, that we’re there together for one another in a difficult hour.’
Mario Kunasek, governor of Styria, said: ‘Styria is mourning today, the green heart is crying. That is an unimaginable tragedy that happened this morning.
‘That is so unfathomable. The lives of so many have modified dramatically today.’
What will we know concerning the suspect?
The shooter has been named as a 21-year-old man from Graz. Initial investigations have found he owned the guns legally.
The suspect has not yet been named.
Investigators found a farewell letter at the house of the suspected gunman, Austrian newspaper Krone has reported.
Police reportedly raided his property yesterday afternoon and located the note, the contents of that are unknown.
The suspect was a former student at the college and didn’t finish his education there.
He killed himself after committing the mass shooting.
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