Ten people, nine of whom were teenagers, were killed in a mass shooting at a high school in Austria on Tuesday. The suspect, who fatally shot himself inside a bathroom at the BORG Dreierschützengasse in the city of Graz, was a 21-year-old former student. While the alleged gunman's identity has not been released in line with the country's privacy laws, the police revealed that he lived an “extremely reclusive life” and had been declared unfit for the army, the New York Times reported.
Suspected Austria school shooter was a fan of first-person shooting games
Michael Lohnegger, head of Styria's criminal investigation office, said during a press briefing that the suspect “lived an extremely reclusive life and was unwilling to participate in normal activities outside in the real world.” Instead, he was a fan of online first-person shooting games.
The alleged gunman had dropped out of high school after failing the equivalent of the 10th grade twice. He also failed to pass the test for military service but was able to obtain a gun permit after passing a psychological evaluation.
Austria school shooter lived with his mother, left a suicide note before attack
The suspected shooter lived with his mother in the commuter town of Kalsdorf bei Graz, which is about 15 km (9 miles) from Graz, the capital city of Styria. When the police searched his apartment, they found a “nonfunctioning pipe bomb” and a “suicide note,” according to a translated X post by the local police.
{{/usCountry}}The suspected shooter lived with his mother in the commuter town of Kalsdorf bei Graz, which is about 15 km (9 miles) from Graz, the capital city of Styria. When the police searched his apartment, they found a “nonfunctioning pipe bomb” and a “suicide note,” according to a translated X post by the local police.
{{/usCountry}}The mayor of the town near Graz airport said that the suspect “was totally inconspicuous.” “He didn't attract any negative attention, nor did he integrate into our community in any way,” Manfred Komericky added, per Reuters.