Austrian police have warned that an on-the-run hunter who slew two people following a license dispute yesterday could kill dozens more, as 50 terrified people have been moved into police protection.
Austrian authorities have launched a major search for shooting suspect and hunter Roland Drexler, 56, who is alleged to have killed a mayor and a retired cop-turned-hunting manager in a sleepy Austrian town yesterday morning.
Drexler shot Franz Hofer, the 64-year-old conservative mayor of Kirchberg ob der Donau who was also a hunting official in the region, as he made his way to a foot salon in the Altenfelden district of Fraunschlag.
Witnesses saw the two men leave their respective cars at the same time, before Drexler shot Hofer at around 8:30am. As the mayor fled to a nearby meadow, Drexler shot him once more, this time with a weapon suited for longer distances.
After getting back in his car, he drove to neaby Arnreit, less than a mile away from where Hofer was shot, before he entered the unlocked home of his second victim and shot him dead in his living room, before fleeing to an unknown location.
Austrian authorities have launched a major search for shooting suspect and hunter Roland Drexler (pictured)
Austrian mayor Franz Hofer (pictured) was shot and killed yesterday morning
Law enforcement officers pass by media gathered during manhunt on October 28, 2024 near Rohrbach, Austria
Cops believe the shooting spree began after several hunters made allegations against Drexler that he had violated conservation and species protection rules that were serious enough to risk him losing his hunting license.
As a result, cops have requested personal protection units for 50 people who may be at risk of being shot by Drexler, who is considered still actively armed, with two long guns and a handgun, and dangerous.
His whereabouts are currently unknown, and neighbours are terrified for their lives.
One father of three who spoke to local media said that as soon as he learned that Drexler was on the run, ‘we immediately locked ourselves in.’
A mother of two said: ‘We are scared. My mother-in-law and I are not going out.’
Police officers patrol near Rohrbach, Upper Austria, on October 28, 2024, during a manhunt for a gunman suspected of killing a local mayor and another person
Law enforcement officers patrol during manhunt on October 28, 2024 near Rohrbach, Austria
Police officers patrol near Rohrbach, Upper Austria, on October 28, 2024, during a manhunt for a gunman suspected of killing a local mayor and another person
Drexler left both of his phones in one of his homes, and an initial investigation conducted in the immediate area with dogs, drones and choppers yielded no solid leads, leaving the possibility he is still in the region open.
More than 250 cops are still in the area surrounding the killing sites, working to secure buildings, protect people and search for the fugitive.
Police have widened their search, and are looking for him in Germany and the Czech Republic, and an international arrest warrant has now been issued.
Questions over how he was driven to commit such a crime have been raised.
The local public prosecutor’s office said he was a ‘blank slate’, having never been criminally charged in his life.
More than 250 cops are still in the area surrounding the killing sites, working to secure buildings, protect people and search for the fugitive
Police have widened their search, and are looking for him in Germany and the Czech Republic, and an international arrest warrant has now been issued
Cops have been working overnight to find more leads in their hunt for the killer
He is said to have divorced his wife a year ago, with whom he had three children. Cops are currently questioning them.
One man who knew him said he was ‘sociable and funny person – as long as it wasn’t about hunting.’
State Hunting Master Herbert Sieghartsleitner: ‘I am deeply shocked by what has happened. I knew Franz Hofer very well personally. It is unbelievable what is happening right now.’
Thomas Stelzer, Upper Austria’s centre-right governor, said: “These outrageous actions have shocked our state. In these difficult times all our thoughts and our deep compassion are with the families and all their members.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
