Although faculty is out for at the least every week, college students stored approaching Wednesday morning, the day after a lethal faculty capturing in Austria surprised the nation.
As an alternative of going into the trendy buildings of their highschool, they walked throughout the road to a protected gathering spot, properly cordoned off from mourners, well-wishers and reporters.
“What’s actually necessary now could be to speak, to be silent collectively, to pay attention,” mentioned Paul Nitsche, 51, an evangelical pastor who teaches faith on the faculty and who was standing on the road in entrance of the mourning space.
On Tuesday, a former pupil killed or fatally wounded at the least 10 individuals on the faculty, BORG Dreierschützengasse, in Graz, a quiet and well-to-do metropolis that’s Austria’s second-largest, after Vienna. He then appeared to have killed himself in a college toilet, the police mentioned.
It was one of many worst faculty shootings in Europe prior to now decade.
The Austrian chancellor, Christian Stocker, canceled appointments on Tuesday to journey to Graz and declared three days of nationwide mourning — together with a second of silence at 10 a.m. native time on Wednesday.
The information of the capturing shocked Austria, an Alpine nation the place gun possession charges are excessive however gun violence is relatively uncommon.
On Wednesday morning, a headline on the on-line website of Kronen Zeitung, the nation’s largest newspaper, declared: “The day after the rampage: Austria cries with Graz.”
The state police mentioned that the gunman was 21 and had beforehand attended the college however by no means graduated. Six of his victims have been feminine and three have been male, although the authorities haven’t launched their names or ages, citing privateness legal guidelines. One other sufferer, a trainer, died later at a hospital.
Exterior the college, makeshift shrines of candles, flowers and stuffed animals lined the perimeter of the college. Investigators and firefighters have been nonetheless getting into and exiting the premises, however in any other case the college buildings have been darkish and quiet.
Lessons are out for the rest of the week as faculty officers resolve proceed. The summer season break begins in early July, and plenty of graduating college students have but to take their ultimate exams earlier than probably happening to college.
“We’re simply speechless — this appears to have come from nowhere,” mentioned Simone Saccon, 20, a college pupil who has spent his total life in Graz. He lives close to the college and was amongst these gathered exterior on Wednesday. “It’s one thing you think about occurs in main cities or within the U.S., however that it will occur right here?” he added.
Pastor Nitsche was alone in a classroom when he heard the photographs. His first intuition was to cover and wait. “It was as silent as if it was the midnight,” he mentioned. “Everybody was taking part in lifeless — good.”
After it appeared secure, he mentioned, he ran out right into a hallway the place he noticed the gunman attempting to get right into a locked door by capturing at it. As he raced away, he noticed the physique of one of many victims, a younger woman, and stored on operating till he noticed the police storming in. “So many uniforms may be actually comforting,” he mentioned.
Based on the police, the gunman killed himself in a college bathroom.
The police mentioned that the shooter had legally obtained his weapons, a handgun and a shotgun. Additionally they mentioned that that they had discovered a pipe bomb once they searched his dwelling on Tuesday afternoon.
Belkez Halici, 39, who lives throughout from the college, was getting ready for work on Wednesday, tears streaming down her face. She had tried to maintain the information from her three youngsters, however that they had heard about it on social media, she mentioned, they usually have been upset and scared.
“I’ve at all times mentioned, faculties right here are usually not secure,” Ms. Halici mentioned. “With individuals coming and going, it’s like a shopping mall.”
