Mayor shot in Austria: hunter runs amok and kills three people

Major police operation Austria near the German border! On Monday morning, Franz Hofer (ÖVP), mayor of the 1,000-inhabitant community of Kirchberg ob der Donau, was shot.

The perpetrator is still on the run, reports “The Crown”-Newspaper. It should therefore be a hunter. While escaping, he killed at least two other people, according to the Austrian media. One of those shot was said to have been a hunting leader, just like the mayor.

The newspaper reports that there is huge excitement in the region. Residents barricaded themselves at home and sent warning messages to each other via cell phones.

“It’s crazy”

Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s party is shocked. “It’s crazy,” the “Krone” quoted the ÖVP’s regional manager in Linz, Florian Hiegelsberger, after the assassination attempt on the mayor.

Hofer had been mayor of Kirchberg ob der Donau for 16 years. He was re-elected in 2021 with 64.15 percent of the vote.

According to the report, all police units have been alerted. An armored car from the Cobra special unit also arrived. The bloody act is said to have occurred in a field or forest. According to the newspaper “Today” Several shots are said to have been fired there.

A large-scale search is underway for the perpetrator, who is believed to still be armed. Nothing is yet known about his motive.