Sunday, 6 Jul 2025
Subscribe
pontesud.com
  • News
  • Mediterranean
  • North
  • South
  • Culture
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Other
    • Technology
    • Youth
    • Travelling
    • Sport
    • Variety
  • AR
  • IT
  • đŸ”„
  • News
  • Economy
  • Co-Op & Diplomacy
  • Uncategorized
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • War
  • Variety
Font ResizerAa
pontesud.compontesud.com
  • News
  • Mediterranean
  • North
  • South
  • Culture
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Other
  • AR
  • IT
Search
  • News
  • Mediterranean
  • North
  • South
  • Culture
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Other
    • Technology
    • Youth
    • Travelling
    • Sport
    • Variety
  • AR
  • IT
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
pontesud.com > Blog > Crime > Teacher recalls narrow escape from Austrian shooter
CrimeNews

Teacher recalls narrow escape from Austrian shooter

Anita Bosman
Last updated: June 11, 2025 1:17 pm
Anita Bosman
Share
SHARE

Bangkok: PonteSud – News Desk

A teacher recounted on Wednesday how he found himself in a corridor with the shooter who killed 10 people in an Austrian school as he fled his empty classroom.

Religion teacher Paul Nitsche was working on his own with the door open on the upper floor of the Dreierschuetzengasse secondary school in Graz when the shooting started.

“I heard this bang. And I blocked it out,” the 51-year-old told reporters, adding that his students were elsewhere sitting their final year exams.

It was only when he heard the sound of bullet casings hitting the floor of a corridor outside, that “something snapped inside me” and the realisation dawned, he said.

“I jumped up and thought, that as a teacher alone in a classroom with a possible attacker, this is a very bad situation.

“And I decided to run. I ran out quickly through the corridor, which is only a few metres long, and then down the stairs.”

It was then that the evangelical pastor saw the shooter in the corridor of the floor below. The sight of him stopped him in his tracks “for a moment”.

“He was trying to shoot the door of a classroom open with his rifle.

“He was busy, and I didn’t look around much either. I didn’t hang around,” Nitsche said. “And as I ran down the stairs, I thought to myself, ‘This isn’t real, this is a film.’”

But when he got to the lower floor “I saw a student lying on the floor and a teacher was there, and I knew, ‘Ah, this is serious.’”

“As a human being, you really try to understand what is happening, I know that from my crisis training, but at the same time you really try to block everything out,” the pastor added.

“I think the emergency services were there a minute or two later, thank God.”

What struck Nitsche was the eerie silence that had fallen over the school. “It was very quiet. Everyone was calm. “There was total silence. No screaming, nothing. That’s not what school is like.

“And the emergency services arrived in normal police cars, four of them with bulletproof vests, and then they went in.”

Nitsche said it was hard to grasp the enormity of what had happened. What he experienced was just one part of “a mosaic with lots of pieces”. He went back to help comfort students outside the school Wednesday.

A large black banner, “Graz stands together”, was strung across a fence nearby as Austria’s second city tried to come to terms with the tragedy.

Small groups of students, most dressed in black and many of them crying, placed candles at the entrance of the closed school.

Tuesday’s shooting is an unprecedented case of deadly gun violence in the usually peaceful Alpine country.

Police said the shooter, a 21-year-old former student at the school, killed himself in a washroom after leaving 10 dead or dying and wounding 12 others.

Police found a “non-functional homemade bomb” during a search of his home. A goodbye letter addressed to the suspect’s parents was also recovered, though it included no clues about his motive.

Local residents in Graz are struggling to express their shock. “You can see here how the whole city, probably the whole country is reeling,” Michael Saad, a 22-year-old student, told AFP at a candlelight vigil late Tuesday.

Saad was among hundreds gathered at the central square in Graz, many young people, placing candles at the feet of a monument in the square in a sombre atmosphere as people stood in silence. Many hugged with tears in their eyes, while others talked quietly in muffled voices.

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Lop Buri macaques monkey relocation continues
Next Article New nuclear plant to be built by Britain for $19 billion
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Kazakhstan officially legalized Starlink satellite

Kazakhstan: PonteSud - News Desk The Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of…

By Charissa Swanepoel

Hue Central Hosp affirms position through organ transplants

Hanoi: PonteSud - News Desk According to the political report presented at the 12th Party…

By Anita Bosman

$1.2 billion investment in sport

Toa Payo: PonteSud - News Desk The UK government has pledged to spend more than…

By Charissa Swanepoel

You Might Also Like

Co-Op & DiplomacyEconomyNewsUncategorized

Return to liberated territories creates new momentum

By Anita Bosman
News

Laos Launches Inclusive Climate Resilience Workshop

By Chiquera Swanepoel
CrimeNews

Jealous husband kills wife, body found in pond

By Anita Bosman
News

Rare Panda Crab Found in Western Thai Forest

By Anita Bosman
pontesud.com
Facebook Twitter Youtube Rss Medium

About US


BuzzStream Live News: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.
Top Categories
  • News
Usefull Links
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with US
  • Complaint
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Submit a Tip
© Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?