The gunman from Graz, who on Tuesday killed ten people at a Graz school before taking his own life, is reported by the Salzburger Nachrichten (online) to have posted a photo from inside the school on a social network shortly before the attack. This and earlier posts apparently suggest that the 21-year-old modeled his school massacre on the Columbine High School shooting in the U.S. state of Colorado. Police are examining the photo.
As a profile picture under the name he used in gamer circles, the gunman is said to have used a photo of one of the two perpetrators of the 1999 U.S. school massacre, in which twelve students and a teacher were murdered before the two teenage shooters took their own lives. The photo shared just before the attack reportedly shows the school-toilet floor and the shooter’s shoes, according to the Salzburger Nachrichten, citing police confirmation of the image’s authenticity. The Styrian State Police Directorate could not immediately confirm the photo’s authenticity on Friday morning. “We are following up on this lead,” said spokesperson Sabri Yorgun when asked by APA. The photo had already been reported to police as a tip. Whether the photo actually came from the perpetrator, however, cannot yet be confirmed.
Although the autopsies of the eleven bodies are complete, the results are not yet available. Further expert reports are required. Therefore, no autopsy findings can be disclosed at this time, Yorgun said.
Crime-Scene Work Completed with 3D Laser Technology
As the head of the Styrian State Criminal Police Office mentioned at Thursday’s press conference, the crime-scene work is largely finished. Both the reconstruction of events in the school and the collection of evidence have been concluded. One reason this was completed so quickly is the support provided by the Federal Criminal Police Office. A so-called 3D laser crime-scene documentation was carried out.
Investigators are now focusing mainly on interviewing more than 100 witnesses. In addition, they are analyzing data—both that found during the search of the perpetrator’s apartment and that uploaded by the public via the platform where videos and photos can be submitted to police. As of Friday morning, 683 files had been uploaded—371 videos, Yorgun told APA. The platform remains online, and witnesses can continue to upload files at https://upload.bmi.gv.at/.
Update from the Hospitals
The police have also been active in other areas: In the settlement of Kalsdorf in the Graz-Umgebung district, where the shooter lived, numerous domestic and international media representatives have been gathering for days. Neighbors feel harassed, prompting officers to restore order.
According to hospital reports on Friday, three of the eleven injured are now expected to be transferred from intensive care to general wards over the course of the day. Three others are already on the general ward at LKH Graz. On Thursday, for social reasons, the patient treated at the West location of LKH Graz II was transferred to the four other patients at UKH Graz. As of Friday midday, six patients—five minors and one adult—were at the LKH University Hospital, and five patients at UKH Graz. Whether further surgeries will be necessary cannot yet be determined.
Donation Accounts Established
The City of Graz has now set up an official donation account to support the victims of the shooting “with full solidarity,” it was announced. The account was created by Mayor Elke Kahr (KPÖ) in agreement with the school’s principal. “We will ensure that all donations reach the victims in full and are coordinating closely with the parents’ association,” the City of Graz website stated. The recipient is: Graz – Zusammenhalten Spenden BORG Dreierschützengasse. IBAN: AT59 1400 0009 1026 0197.
Independent of this account, Mayor Kahr has promised that funeral costs for the victims will be covered from the mayor’s budget. Relatives can submit bills without a special application or pay upfront and then claim reimbursement at Mayor Kahr’s office in the town hall.
A crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe—“Amoklauf Graz – Hilfe für die Hinterbliebenen Familien”—has also been launched. “We collect donations—fairly distributed and transparently—so every contribution goes where it’s most needed. The funds will help cover funeral costs and repatriate children to their hometowns for a dignified farewell,” it states. As of Friday morning, the page showed just over €4,400 donated.
Interior Minister Karner Demands Consequences
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) considers legislative reactions absolutely necessary after the rampage. “After such an atrocity, we cannot and will not simply return to business as usual. There must be consequences and changes,” he said on Friday before the Interior Ministers’ Council in Luxembourg. That weapons authorities “have no access to data from military service records” due to data-protection rules is “unbearable and cannot remain as is,” he added. In addition to potential tightening of the Weapons Act, measures on enhanced victim protection and school security are under discussion. Coalition parties have already begun talks on raising hurdles for gun ownership.
FPÖ Secretary General Christian Hafenecker demanded “immediate and comprehensive clarification” from Interior Minister Karner: “For days the public has been fed the story that the attacker lived in complete seclusion, was ‘invisible’ on social media, and that nothing could have been anticipated—a pure ‘fake news,’ as has now been revealed,” the national council member criticized. “There is a suspicion of scandalous official failure.”
