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 so far from the shooting, with seven females and three males confirmed among the dead – the shooter killed himself in the bathroom.
Yesterday evening, residents of Austria’s second-largest city gathered in sombre silence to reflect.
Thousands cried, prayed and stood watch over dozens of lit candles in the main town square.
Attendee Felix Platzer told Reuters: ‘When you hear about it, you have so much sympathy for the people, maybe you could have known someone.
‘This is an example of solidarity, and you grieve together. Together it is easier to cope.’
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 safe space was hit by such a violent act leaves us speechless,’ he said.
‘‘Today is about empathy. It’s about cohesion, that we are there together for each other in a difficult hour.’
Mario Kunasek, governor of Styria, said: ‘Styria is mourning today, the green heart is crying. This is an unimaginable tragedy that happened this morning.
‘This is so unfathomable. The lives of so many have changed dramatically today.’
What do we know about 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 home of the suspected gunman, Austrian newspaper Krone has reported.
Police reportedly raided his property yesterday afternoon and found the note, the contents of which are unknown.
The suspect was a former student at the school and didn’t finish his education there.
He killed himself after committing the mass shooting.
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