After a homicide on Tuesday evening in which a 44-year-old man in Vienna-Leopoldstadt is believed to have shot his wife of the same age and then himself, two other victims—a 24-year-old woman, the suspected gunman’s daughter, and a 26-year-old man—are alive, a spokesman for the Vienna Health Association told APA on Wednesday. The young woman, who was shot in the head, was in extremely critical condition. “The doctors are fighting for her life.”
Despite a very severe gunshot wound, the 26-year-old man is doing relatively well. His relationship to the family was still not fully clarified as of Wednesday morning; he may be a brother-in-law or a friend of the 24-year-old. According to the spokesman, his condition is not only stable, but he has already been transferred to a regular ward.
After police were called to an apartment building on Vorgartenstraße on Tuesday evening due to a loud argument, officers encountered the Serbian man. When they addressed him, he aimed a weapon at them, which led to an exchange of gunfire. The 44-year-old initially managed to flee in his white car. According to police spokeswoman Julia Schick, he was found dead in his vehicle shortly afterward in the immediate vicinity.
Meanwhile, police discovered the lifeless 44-year-old woman in the apartment, as well as the two other victims, who were treated by several teams from Vienna’s professional emergency services, spokesman Daniel Melcher reported Wednesday. They were then taken to a hospital.
The events triggered a massive police and rescue operation. The area was widely cordoned off. Information about the motive and details of the act was initially not available.
