A mourner cries in front of the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University building in downtown Prague today (Picture: AP)
The Czech Republic has declared a national day of mourning today to honour the 14 victims of a shooting in Prague.
Flags on public buildings were flown at half-mast and people across the country observed a minute of silence.
The attack – Czech Republic’s worst ever mass killing – happened inside the Faculty of Arts of Charles University building in the heart of the capital on Thursday.
Gunman David Kozak, who killed himself as police closed in, left 14 dead and 25 were injured.
Police and prosecutors said they have evidence the 24-year-old also killed his father earlier in the day – and a man and a baby in Prague last week.
Kozak was a Czech national and a student at the Faculty of Arts himself.
Church bells tolled at noon and a mass was held in memory of the victims at St Vitus cathedral.
Candles and flowers have been left outside the university (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
A woman lights a candle at the memorial (Picture: AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
President Petr Pavel attended the service, which was open to everyone.
Similar religious services were held in other cities and towns, while Christmas markets in several places were closed or reduced their programs amid boosted security measures.
Of the victims, 13 died at the university, while another died later in hospital.
Among the wounded were three foreign nationals.
Gunman David Kozak killed himself as police closed in
Mourners attend memorial service for the victims at St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague (Picture: AP)
The mass at the cathedral was one of many services held for the victims across the country (Picture: Reuters)
Milos Vystrcil, speaker of parliament’s upper house, the senate, lit a candle at a memorial for the victims set up in front of the university headquarters.
He said: ‘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 dear ones have to experience now.
‘I think that to help them at this point we express our support and that’s what we’re all doing now.’
Those who died have been identified and their names released. All were Czech.
People comfort each other as they observe a minute of silence (Picture: Reuters)
The university confirmed two staff members were among them, including the head of the Institute of Music Sciences, Lenka Hlávková.
Police do not currently suspect Kozak had links to extremist ideology or groups and believe he acted alone.
It’s not yet clear what his motive was.
Previously, the nation’s worst mass shooting was in 2015, when a gunman opened fire in the southeastern town of Uhersky Brod, killing eight before fatally shooting himself.
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