A man, who killed seven people and wounded 15 others in a shooting spree on outskirts of Slovak capital Bratislava on Monday shot himself in the head after being fatally hurt by a policeman, Slovak officials said Tuesday, Xinhua reported.
The murderer Lubomir Harman, 48, was an unemployed, avid member of a shooting club who legally owned six guns, among them a sport version of Kalashnikov assault rifle, Slovak Police President Jaroslav Spisiak announced.
The murderer had no criminal record, spent a lot of time in the club taking part in shooting competitions. He was never married, living alone and was the neighbor of the six victims, who "lived a very lively social life and often received visits," Spisiak said. All six were Roma (gypsy) national minority members and led unruly life, according to Slovak press reports. Contrary to previous press reports, he was neither a professional soldier, nor a policeman.
Since 1990's he worked for four companies and was considered "a serious, honest man," Spisiak told the press. He was unemployed since 2008. Other neighbors said he did not communicate with them much, and he never had any conflicts with them, added Spisiak.
After murdering six members of Roma family, including a 12-year- old boy, Harman left the house and started shooting at the arriving police patrol. He shot a policeman in the face and hurt other people on the street. He killed a woman on a balcony and wounded a three-year-old boy on the street. He then was encircled by policemen.
Witnesses said the shooting lasted for many minutes till a policeman from special police unit hit him into the chest. The policemen's shot was fatal, according to an autopsy report, and the killer to shorten his agony shot himself in head by the assault rifle. The Slovak government declared Tuesday a national day of mourning on Sept. 2 to commemorate the victims. State flags will be flown at half-mast between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday.