Police said they believe the assailant acted alone. They said on social network X that 10 people were dead, including the shooter, and “several” were seriously wounded.
Mayor Elke Kahr described the events as a “terrible tragedy,” the Austria Press Agency reported. It added that the fatalities included students and at least one adult. Officials didn't immediately give information on the perpetrator.
Special forces were among those sent to the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school, about a kilometer (over half a mile) from Graz's historic center, after a call at 10 a.m. At 11.30 a.m., police said that the school had been evacuated and everyone had been taken to a safe meeting point. They wrote that the situation was “secured” and there is no longer believed to be any danger.
Photos from the scene showed a large police deployment, including at least one helicopter and emergency vehicles around the school.
Some weapons, such as rifles and shotguns that must be reloaded manually after each shot, can be purchased in Austria from the age of 18 without a permit. Gun dealers only need to check if there’s no weapons ban on the buyer and the weapon gets registered in the central weapons register.
