14 people were killed in the shooting in Prague on Thursday. There could have been even more if not for the actions of journalist Jiri Forman. That man caught the shooter’s attention, allowing others to escape.
Source: Nova, Denik, iPrima, Novinky, Parlamentnilisty, RefleX, Today at 08:10
David Kozak (24) barricaded himself on the terrace of a university building in the center of Prague on Thursday afternoon, and from there shot innocent people on Jan Palach Square. The police quickly arrived on the scene, but could not immediately neutralize the shooter, according to Czech media, because they did not have heavy weapons that could hit the man at such a relatively long distance – Kozak himself used a heavy assault weapon.
Journalist and cameraman Jiri Forman, who was among the police officers at the time, decided at that moment to attract Kozak’s attention so that he could not shoot at fleeing people in the square. He stood up, and shouted, “Hey, you son of a bitch! Shoot me! Hey, here I am!”. With success: Kozak turned his attention to Forman and started shooting at him and the entrenched police officers.
“I had already looked and saw that we were all covered,” Forman told the Nova television channel later in the day. “While the people who walked away from the faculty were actually a relatively easy target. That’s why I yelled at him to shoot in my direction because I had cover.”
Schutter David Kozak — © rr
“What the hell do you think I’m doing?”
Immediately afterwards, an officer can be heard asking Forman: “What are you doing?” To which the journalist replies: “What the hell do you think I’m doing? There are people everywhere.”
“I said to that officer: let’s shoot back,” Forman said at Nova. “Hats off to that police officer: it was far away – maybe 70 meters – but then he immediately just started shooting. The shooter apparently did not expect anyone to shoot at him and took cover. And then came the final shot.” Kozak is said to have killed himself immediately after the facts described.
Anyone who has questions about suicide can contact the suicide line via the toll-free number 1813 or at www.zelfbloed1813.be.
© AFP