Mayor among victims in fatal Mühlviertel shooting incident
Shooting in Northern Austria. Two people, including the current mayor, were shot dead in Mühlviertel. The perpetrator has not yet been apprehended. A manhunt is underway.
According to Austrian media, in the early morning, information about a "firearm incident" in Mühlviertel, near the German border, surfaced. According to "Kronen Zeitung", two bodies were found.
Media report that one of the victims is Franz Hofer, the mayor of the municipality of Kirchberg ob der Donau. The identity of the second victim is not yet known. There are also reports of a third body, but these have not been confirmed by the police.
A manhunt is underway, residents have barricaded themselves
The perpetrator has not yet been apprehended. According to media reports, he is - like the shot mayor - a hunter. He is most likely armed. The area has been cordoned off, and hundreds of police officers are on the scene. The Cobra special unit is participating in the operation.
Local residents are barricading themselves in their homes and are warning each other not to go outside because "someone has gone mad" - reports "Kronen Zeitung".
According to the media, the background of the crime is most likely a long-standing dispute between hunters. There had been incidents before, and now the situation has clearly escalated.
