21 hours Ago
Background on the Shooter and Preparations
Authorities said Arthur A. was a loner and spent a lot of time playing online first-person shooting games. Investigators described him as a person who favored the digital world over personal contact. Arthur led a very secluded life and hardly ever went out for social engagements, said Michael Lohnegger, head of the criminal investigation office in Styria.
Arthur entered the school with a rucksack and went into a bathroom to prepare before carrying out the attack. He geared himself up with a belt with a gun holsters, a hunting knife, shooting glasses, a headset, a Glock pistol and a sawn-off shotgun. He then headed to the second- and third-floor levels and randomly shot at people. Gunfire was used to break open one classroom door. The attack took about seven minutes and around 10 minutes later he shot himself in the school toilets, according to police.
Motive and Investigation
Although the motive still remains under investigation, police have speculated that Arthur did not even complete his education at the school in question. There are reports that he may have been bullied and wanted to take revenge, but police have not confirmed this. He had been through a psychological evaluation and legally purchased the firearms in April and May.
After the shooting, officers searched his home and found a discarded plan for a bomb attack and an inoperable pipe bomb. Arthur lived with his mother in the nearby Kalsdorf bei Graz. Neighbors said he was a quiet, slight man who frequently sported a cap and headphones and kept to himself.
Questions were then raised about past bullying at the school, but the deputy head, Norbert Urabl, replied that bullying is hard to pin down. He called for more empathy to help identify bullying at the earlier stages.
