21-Year-Old Student Who Opened Fire at BORG Dreierschützengasse Dies by Suicide in School Bathroom

A peaceful Tuesday morning in Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, was shattered by a horrifying act of violence at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school. A 21-year-old former student, who had previously attended the school but never graduated, entered the campus heavily armed and opened fire, killing nine people before taking his own life in a school bathroom.

This unprecedented event has deeply shocked the nation, which is more familiar with serene alpine vistas and symphonic traditions than gun violence. The tragedy marks one of the worst Austrian high school shooting in history and one of the deadliest in Europe in recent years.

BORG Dreierschützengasse High School Shooting

The shooting took place in the north of Graz, a university town known for its cultural heritage and relative tranquility. The first calls reporting gunfire came around 10 a.m. local time. Police swiftly responded to the scene, deploying more than 300 officers, including COBRA, Austria’s elite police tactical unit. A helicopter was dispatched to provide aerial support, and over 160 emergency medical personnel were engaged in managing the crisis.

Witnesses described chaos as students and teachers fled the scene or locked themselves in classrooms. The suspect, who carried a legally obtained pistol and a longer firearm — possibly a rifle or shotgun — roamed the halls of the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school during the attack.

According to police, six females and three males were killed, though the identities and roles of the victims, including how many were students, have not yet been made public. After completing his deadly rampage, the shooter was found deceased in a bathroom, having apparently died by suicide.

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Authorities quickly secured the building and evacuated it by 11:30 a.m. Local officials opened a nearby stadium to serve as a reunification point for students and their families. The city, which boasts a population of around 300,000, has been left reeling from the attack.

Local Mayor Elke Kahr told the Austrian Press Agency the suspected gunman is among the casualties in the "terrible tragedy".

Mayor Kahr also said one adult was among the dead as well as seven students. pic.twitter.com/AaLmYDoI6s

— Satyaagrah (@satyaagrahindia) June 10, 2025

Streets were cordoned off as heavily armed officers patrolled and emergency vehicles raced through the city with sirens blaring. For a place that last experienced mass violence a decade ago, when a man drove his car into crowds and attacked pedestrians with a knife, this new act of violence has reopened wounds and intensified public fears.

Austria’s Response and National Mourning

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker responded with immediate gravity. He cancelled his engagements and traveled to Graz to personally oversee the response. In a heartfelt social media post, he described the event as a “national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country.” Stocker declared three days of national mourning, a rare gesture that underscores the magnitude of the shock that has gripped Austria.

The Chancellor’s response has been widely supported across political lines, with leaders emphasizing the need for national unity in the wake of the violence. Flags across government buildings have been lowered to half-mast, and memorials have begun appearing outside the school and in public squares throughout Graz. While the investigation continues, there has also been a growing conversation about mental health support and gun laws in Austria.

Though Austrian citizens are relatively well-armed by European standards — with about 2.6 million privately held guns in the country — gun control remains stricter than in the United States. Most firearms are registered, and ownership requires background checks and justifications. Nevertheless, the shooter was able to acquire his weapons legally, raising difficult questions about how he slipped through the safety nets designed to prevent such tragedies.

Investigators have asked the public to provide any videos or photos from the day of the shooting to help piece together the chain of events. The motive remains unknown, and law enforcement officials have not indicated whether any manifesto or other evidence of intent has been found. For now, the priority is honoring the victims and ensuring the safety of students, while slowly unraveling the shooter’s past and his reasons for committing this devastating act.

Europe and Gun Violence: A Rare but Real Threat

The Graz school shooting stands out not only for its death toll but also because such incidents are extremely rare in Austria and much of Europe. Unlike in the United States, where school shootings have become an all-too-common phenomenon, European countries typically see such mass shootings only sporadically. This is largely attributed to stricter gun control laws and lower rates of gun ownership.

Austria ranks 12th globally in civilian gun ownership, according to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey. The country has about 30 firearms per 100 people, a fraction of the approximately 120 guns per 100 people in the United States. Despite this relative disparity, Europe has not been immune to school shootings.

High-profile cases include the 2023 Belgrade school shooting in Serbia, where a 13-year-old killed eight students and a guard, and the 2009 Winnenden shooting in Germany, in which a 17-year-old killed 15 people.

Dr. Marieke Liem, a violence and interventions researcher at Leiden University in the Netherlands, points out that gun violence in Europe is generally tied to organized crime, rather than lone actors or ideological motives. Incidents like the Graz shooting are particularly disturbing because they do not fit that pattern.

Liem emphasizes the link between gun availability and homicide rates, noting that as long as firearms are accessible, the risk of such tragedies persists — even in societies with strong safety regulations and lower cultural acceptance of guns.

Austria, despite having fewer incidents than other countries, has not been entirely untouched by mass shootings. Between 2000 and 2022, only two mass shootings were recorded in the country, highlighting just how exceptional the Graz attack is. This rarity, however, does not diminish the need for vigilance. If anything, it underscores how even countries with comparatively strict laws are not immune when individuals with ill intent find access to deadly weapons.

As Austrians mourn, many are also reflecting on how to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Discussions are already underway about tightening gun control laws, improving school security, and expanding access to mental health services. While there are no easy solutions, this tragic event has brought these issues to the forefront in a way that no public debate or policy forum could have done on its own.

The road to healing will be long for the students, teachers, and families affected by the Graz school shooting. Austria, a nation more accustomed to peaceful mountain villages and music festivals than mass shootings, must now come to terms with an act of violence that shattered its sense of safety and innocence. It’s a sobering reminder that even in the most tranquil of places, vigilance and compassion must walk hand in hand.