By Andreas Lundberg 
A 21-year-old former student carried out Austria’s deadliest mass shooting at BORG Dreierschützengasse secondary school in Graz yesterday, killing 11 people, including seven students and two adults, before dying in an apparent suicide. At least 30 others were injured in the attack, which has left the nation reeling and prompted three days of national mourning.
The shooting began around 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) in Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, a vibrant university hub 120 miles southwest of Vienna. The suspect, armed with a legally purchased pistol and shotgun, targeted two classrooms, one of which he reportedly attended as a student. Austrian media, including Salzburger Nachrichten, suggested the shooter had been bullied during his time at the school. His body was later found in a school bathroom.
Graz Mayor Elke Kahr confirmed the death toll, and police evacuated the school, securing the area by midday. Over 300 officers, including Austria’s elite COBRA unit, and 160 paramedics responded, with a police helicopter aiding operations. ASKO Stadium, home to the local ESK Graz soccer team, served as a reunion point for students and parents.
Chancellor Christian Stocker, who traveled to Graz, described the attack as a “national tragedy” on X, stating, “There are no words for the pain and grief that we all – all of Austria – are feeling right now.” President Alexander Van der Bellen mourned the loss of “young people who had their whole lives ahead of them” and a teacher who guided them.
Global leaders expressed condolences. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X, “Every child should feel safe at school.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called schools “symbols of youth, hope, and the future.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered solidarity to Austria.
The Graz shooting, chillingly familiar to Americans accustomed to school shootings—where over 50 such incidents have been recorded annually since 2021, per the K-12 School Shooting Database—is rare in Europe. Comparable attacks include a 2009 shooting in Germany that killed 15 and a 2023 incident in Serbia that claimed eight children. Austria’s last major mass shooting was in 2020, when an ISIL sympathizer killed four in Vienna.
Austria ranks high in European gun ownership, with about 30 firearms per 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey, though this pales compared to the U.S.’s 120.5. Rifles and shotguns require licenses, while handguns face stricter rules. The attack has stunned Graz, a city of 300,000, which last saw a major mass attack in 2015 when a man killed three with a car and knife.
Police are collecting evidence and have called for witnesses to submit photos or videos to a secure site. As Austria grapples with its deadliest school shooting, the tragedy has sparked urgent debates about gun laws and school safety in a nation unaccustomed to such violence.
Ethan Caldwell 
Emma Whitaker