AMOSLauf in Graz: Perpetrator saw himself as a victim of bullying - grief and shock!

AMOSLauf in Graz: Perpetrator saw himself as a victim of bullying - grief and shock!

on June 10, 2025, a tragic day for Graz: The killing spree at a high school was announced at a press conference by the police, city and the state government. The 21-year-old perpetrator, a former student of the school, had not completed his training and apparently saw himself as a bullying victim, as 20min.ch reports. The crime occurred over the course of school and led to an unimaginable tragedy.

The perpetrator committed the terrible act with a legally acquired shotgun and a pistol. Before the crime, he was not known to the police, which raised the question of how such a cruel incident could occur. A total of nine people were killed in the killing spree, including six women and three men, as well as twelve other people seriously injured. This insane violence required the use of 300 police officers, the Cobra special unit and numerous rescue workers from the Red Cross.

political reactions and state grief

The dismay in the population is great. Chancellor, governor of Styria and the mayor of Graz expressed their deep sympathy for the relatives concerned. A three-day state griever was arranged in the sign of commemoration, which was expressed, among other things, with a minute's silence during a World Cup qualification game and the wearing of mourning flora by the national soccer team.

A look at the reasons

The background of the terrible act is still unclear. Media reports indicate that the perpetrator felt under the impression of being a victim of bullying. This refers to a deeper problem: mental illnesses and the isolation that many gunners characterized could have played a role. Dw.com addresses The importance of mental illness as one of the risk factors for such violent outbursts. At the same time, it is pointed out that they do not necessarily have to lead to violence, but can often be integrated into perpetrator profiles.

An important element in this discussion is access to firearms. A study from 2020 has shown that many gunners had signs of mental illnesses before their act. Nevertheless, access to weapons is often the decisive factor that enables such perpetrators.

The killing spree in Graz is not the first of its kind in Austria. Already in 2015 there was an amocation in Graz, in which three people were killed and 36 injured. The perpetrator, Alen R., was a 26-year-old who raced through the city with an SUV. During the investigation, it turned out that he also had a tragic story in which psychological problems played a role. This clarifies that the topics of bullying, mental illnesses and access to weapons may not be considered in isolation.

The events in Graz should be understood as an alarm sign. The company faces the challenge of promoting both people's mental health and ensuring the safe use of weapons. This is the only way to prevent future tragedies to secure life together in peace.