A devastating school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz has left at least eight people dead, including seven students, one adult, and the suspected gunman. The shooting occurred on Tuesday morning at BORG Dreierschützengasse high school, located about a kilometre from Graz’s historic center. Mayor Elke Kahr called it a “terrible tragedy,” confirming multiple people were hospitalized with injuries. Authorities believe the attacker acted alone.
Emergency services swiftly responded, deploying special forces and securing the scene. By 11:30 a.m., police had evacuated the school and moved everyone to a safe location, later confirming the area was secured and no further threat remained. Photos published by the regional paper Kleine Zeitung showed a heavy police presence, with helicopters circling overhead and emergency vehicles surrounding the school.
The city of Graz, Austria’s second-largest with a population of around 300,000, is reeling from the shock. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker called the incident a “national tragedy,” expressing the nation’s collective grief in a message on X. President Alexander Van der Bellen lamented the loss, saying, “This horror cannot be captured in words. These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them.”
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner traveled to Graz in response to the tragedy, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered condolences, emphasizing the symbolic value of schools as places of hope and learning — not violence.
As investigations continue, the entire nation mourns this profound loss of innocent lives in a place meant to nurture dreams and futures.