Death toll increases after suspected shooter opens fire at Austrian school, officials say

Nine people were killed in a school shooting in Austria on Tuesday by a 21-year-old former student with no previous police record, officials said. 

The gunfire erupted at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, a city of about 300,000. The assailant used two weapons – which he is believed to have owned legally – before taking his own life inside a school bathroom, police said.

“Today is a dark day in the history of our country,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told reporters in Graz. The city’s mayor, Elke Kahr, described the events as a “terrible tragedy,” according to the Austria Press Agency.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the gunman had been a student at the school and hadn’t completed his studies. He didn’t specify when the man left the school or at what age.

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Karner said six of the dead were female and three were males, but didn’t give further information. The Austria Press Agency earlier reported that the fatalities were seven students and one adult. Another 12 people were reported to be injured.

“The school was evacuated and everyone was taken to a safe meeting point,” Austrian police wrote on X. “The situation is secure. No further danger is expected.” 

“The reason for the operation was gunshots heard in the building,” police added. 

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Special forces were among those sent to the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school after a call at 10 a.m. local time. 

The motive of the attack is unclear. 

Regional police chief Gerald Ortner said two firearms – a long gun and a handgun – were used in the shooting and recovered from the scene. The suspected shooter lived near Graz, police said.

Graz is Austria’s second largest city and is located in the country’s southeast. 

In Brussels, European Union spokesperson Paula Pinho said that “we would like to offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the entire city of Graz in Austria. And we stand together in mourning while we seek clarity in the wake of this horrible event in a school.”

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Stocker called the shooting “a national tragedy that shocks us deeply” and said there would be three days of national mourning, with the Austrian flag lowered to half-staff at official buildings. A national minute of silence is to be held on Wednesday morning in memory of the victims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.