Austria holds vigils for Graz school shooting victims

Austria paused for a national moment of silence on Wednesday to honour the 10 people killed in a school shooting in Graz — the worst of its kind in the country’s history.

Church bells rang out across Austria at noon, public transport came to a halt, and radio and television programming were interrupted as citizens paid tribute to the victims. Candlelit vigils were held in Graz, where mourners left flowers and letters outside the Dreierschützengasse secondary school, where the shooting took place on Tuesday morning.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker declared three days of national mourning, calling the event “a national tragedy.”

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Among the victims were nine teenagers aged 14 to 17 — including a Polish national and a Franco-Austrian pupil — and a teacher, according to national news agency APA. Eleven others were wounded, with nine still in intensive care on Wednesday but in stable condition.

The attack was carried out by a 21-year-old former student of the school, who used two legally-owned firearms — a shotgun and a pistol — before taking his own life in a school bathroom. He had never completed his studies at the school and left behind a suicide note addressed to his parents. Police also discovered a non-functional homemade explosive device at his home, but said no clear motive had been found.

Austrian media reported the suspect may have been bullied, while others raised concerns about the ease of firearm access in Austria, a country where gun violence remains rare.

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Many in Graz said they were still struggling to process what had happened. “It is truly shocking… We will always think back on this,” said 22-year-old student Mariam Fayz at a candlelight vigil in the city.

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Ennio, a current student at the school, told reporters, “We ask that we be left in peace today so that we can mourn together.”

Pope Leo XIV also addressed the tragedy during his general audience in Rome, saying he was praying for the victims and their families.

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