-News for Thur. 25 April & Fri. 26
April 2002 18
Dead After German School Shooting
VOA
News 26
Apr 2002 17:45 UTC

 |
 |
| German police cordon off road leading to high
school |
 |
An expelled
student opened fire in his former school in the eastern German city of Erfurt -
killing 17 people before turning a gun on himself. Authorities say the
casualties at the Gutenberg secondary school Friday, include two students, 13
teachers, a school secretary, one policeman and the gunman - whom they describe
as a 19-year-old former student.
Police who
searched the school describe a gruesome scene - saying they found bodies strewn
in hallways, classrooms and bathrooms. The unidentified gunman, who was
recently expelled from the school, was dressed all in black and shot his
victims randomly with two weapons. Police say he killed himself as commandos
closed in. Authorities reportedly could not find a second gunman, despite
initial reports there had been two attackers.
Hundreds of
students between the ages of 10 and 19 attend the Gutenberg school in Erfurt,
which is in the former East Germany. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said
he is "stunned" and "horrified" at the shooting.
It came just
hours before Germany's parliament approved a new bill tightening the country's
already strict gun laws.
Some information
for this report provided by AP and AFP.
Email this article to a
friend.
Printer Friendly
Version
|