Autopsy results

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Large-scale police operation on Friday in Kaiserfeldgasse, Graz.

(Bild: Barbara Winkler)

On Friday afternoon, a 23-year-old woman was shot dead in a lawyer's office in Graz, shortly afterwards the perpetrator executed himself. The latest findings of the Graz public prosecutor's office reveal that The 29-year-old killed the young woman with three shots. Nothing more is yet known about the motive and relationship.

Investigations into the gruesome bloody deed in the middle of Graz city center have been in full swing since last Friday. A 29-year-old man shot a 23-year-old woman in a lawyer's office in Kaiserfeldgasse and then committed suicide. Now that the autopsy of the victim has been completed, it is clear that the perpetrator fired at least four shots - three of which were aimed directly at the young employee's body, explains Arnulf Rumpold, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office in Graz.

Until now, a total of three shots had been assumed. The post-mortem examination of the 29-year-old shooter is planned for Monday and should provide further insight. In order to clarify the background to the bloodbath, the criminal investigation department is now conducting extensive interviews with the perpetrator's entourage. "Now everything has to be evaluated," explains Rumpold. The woman was alone in the office, there are no direct witnesses to the crime.

On Friday afternoon there was a major alarm in the city center of Graz.

(Bild: Barbara Winkler)

It is still unclear what the relationship between the perpetrator, who worked in the same law firm for a short time, and the 23-year-old victim actually looked like. Nothing more is known about the motive either.

Is the current gun law too lax?
However, it is certain that the man had legally possessed the murder weapon, a category C long gun. However, the Austrian did not have a firearms pass or a firearms license. Nor did he have to: "There are three different categories of weapons in Austria. Shotguns and rifles, which have to be reloaded after every shot, fall into category C and are therefore freely available," reports Manfred Gruber from the Styrian Police Directorate.

However, there are a few rules that dealers and customers must adhere to: "The seller must question the customer's motive, for example," says Gruber. In addition, the buyer and the weapon must always be registered by the dealer. "Both then appear in the central weapons register at the authorities," says the official. The law has also been in force for a few years now: The seller may only hand over the weapon to the customer three days after the purchase at the earliest. This "cooling-off period" is intended to prevent acts of passion.