Klánovice Forest murders On 15 December 2023, a 32-year-old father and his two-month-old daughter in a stroller were shot dead in the on the eastern outskirts of
Prague, approximately away from
Charles University. Later investigation revealed that the perpetrator, David Kozák, had only visited the Klánovice Forest once before committing the murders. He carried a brown beige backpack and was armed with two handguns—a
Glock 45 and a
Beretta 71. of which about 40 people lived in the vicinity of the Klánovice Forest. Once a personal or work-related motive was exhausted, the investigation focused on the possibility of a random murder. The chief detective of Prague's 1st General Crime Unit stated that because Kozák lived in the
Central Bohemian Region, which has a separate police directorate from Prague, they were a few days short of being able to prevent the Charles University attack. while sitting at a table, before his body was moved and his neck was laid on a block of wood. An axe was found lying next to him, which indicated that Kozák had probably intended to
cut his father's head off, but did not do so for unknown reasons. One minute later, a friend of Kozák, only identified as K.C., called the medical emergency line, saying Kozák was planning to take his own life. She also stated that "[Kozák] could be dangerous", Police officers went to the Kozák residence at 12:33 and found the body of his father, as well as
improvised explosive devices that were decommissioned by specialists later that day. The police discovered that Kozák was a student of
Charles University's
Faculty of Arts in Prague. A search warrant was issued, indicating that Kozák was armed and dangerous. At 13:10, the Central Bohemian Police, whose jurisdiction the village of Hostouň falls under, directly alerted the Prague Police. The Prague police dispatcher issued an
all-points bulletin (APB), which stated that Kozák was sought due to suicide threats, that he may be dangerous, and that he also may be connected to a violent crime. A security operation was commenced at
Václav Havel Airport near Hostouň, where both Kozák and his father worked (the latter in the airport security department). Prague Police also checked the
Central Registry of Firearms, noting that Kozák owns multiple firearms, and that one of them was of the type which was the focus of the Klánovice Forest murders investigation. The APB was expanded with information that Kozák should be considered extremely dangerous. At 13:23, Kozák entered the Faculty of Arts main building on
Jan Palach Square with a heavy suitcase containing firearms, a large amount of ammunition,
cleavers,
chains, and
bicycle locks, through the busy main entrance without arousing any suspicion. He proceeded to the fourth-floor bathrooms, where he apparently remained until the start of the attack. where they would stand guard until the start of the attack. Dozens of heavily armed police officers, including the Prague
SWAT unit, were spread out in the crowded area where
Christmas markets were taking place.
Charles University shooting At around 14:54 CET, Kozák, armed with a pistol, exited the restroom and opened fire inside the main building's fourth-floor corridors and classrooms. Several of the students present in other fourth-floor classrooms fled to the exterior terrace, then climbed onto a ledge on the other side of the building before jumping to a third-floor balcony, sustaining injuries from the fall. By that point, the gunfire had temporarily ceased, which led police officers to move slowly in "search mode" instead of the fast "contact mode". Outside the building, three
plainclothes police detectives from a car theft unit entered Jan Palach Square through the
Mánes Bridge and began forcing onlookers to take cover behind the Rudolfinum. As they were clearing out the square, at 15:11:19, Kozák started shooting from the fourth-floor exterior terrace using his
AR-10 rifle. The gunfire caused panic outside the building, with crowds of people fleeing the nearby
Charles Bridge. Detective
First Sergeant Jiří P. took cover behind a thick lamp post and started relaying information about the gunman's actions over the radio. Armed with only a
Glock 19 pistol, he initially hesitated to shoot back as there were multiple windows within the perpetrator's vicinity, and he was concerned about hitting people who were inside the building.
Reporter Jiří Forman, who took cover behind Jiří P., recorded the perpetrator's actions from the ground. Forman shouted at Kozák in an attempt to draw his attention away from students evacuating the building; Kozák appeared to have seen Forman and fired shots in his direction. Meanwhile, officers who were searching the third floor were alerted that the perpetrator was shooting at people outside. It was first erroneously reported that the gunman was on the rooftop when he was actually on the fourth-floor terrace, directly above the officers searching the building. The officers then lost time searching for a route towards the fourth floor and then to the outer terrace, as the area is difficult to navigate; while the first three floors are accessible by the main central staircase, the position of the side staircase leading to the fourth floor was not immediately visible to the officers. At 15:12, the advancing police forces reached the fourth floor with assistance from Hercík In total, Kozák fired thirteen rounds from his rifle, with the last shot being fired at 15:18:51. In between shots, Kozák moved towards the right side of the terrace, which gave First Sergeant Jiří P. the opportunity to move to a better vantage point. Between 15:18:54 and 15:18:59, as the perpetrator was briefly visible to those below, Jiří P. fired three shots at him from a distance of 105 meters. Two of the shots closely missed Kozák, with one bullet hitting a wall behind him and the other hitting a spotlight just above his head. Meanwhile, two other officers armed with
G36 carbines climbed to the top floor of a hotel on the opposite side of the street. At 15:18:57, one of the officers aimed his carbine at Kozák through a closed window, but did not fire at him. Kozák was likely not aware of the police presence in the opposite building. At 15:19:10, Kozák threw his loaded rifle off the roof, and then, at 15:19:24, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun, bringing the rampage to an end. At 15:23, policemen entered classrooms 423 and 417, where the majority of the victims were situated, and started providing first aid. At 15:25, other policemen reached the fourth-floor terrace, where they confirmed the perpetrator's death. ==Victims==