Slovakia Suicide Gunman Kills Roma Family
6:04pm UK, Monday August 30, 2010
Jon di Paolo
A man armed with a machine gun has shot and killed seven people in Slovakia's capital, Bratislava.
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The gunman murdered six members of the same Roma family at a flat in the suburb of in of Devinska Nova Ves. He then shot another woman and wounded 14 other people in a gun battle with police that ended when he committed suicide. Officers said the man, who has not been identified, was around 50 years old. Police commander Jaroslav Spisiak said: "On the run, he ran only a few metres, shooting at everything that moved. "More officers came, surrounded him, and he had no choice but to commit suicide." One of those injured is a policeman, who was shot in the head.
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On the run, he ran only a few metres, shooting at everything that moved. More officers came, surrounded him, and he had no choice but to commit suicide.
<cite> Police commander Jaroslav Spisiak
</cite> A three-year-old child was also hurt, but is said to have escaped serious injury. None of the wounded is thought to be in danger of dying. Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic said it was too early to say whether the attack had been racially motivated. "It was a family of Roma origin. We do not know the motive yet, I do not want to speculate if it was or was not a racist motive," said at a news conference.
There have been disputes and minor clashes in Slovakia between the Roma and the majority population, especially in smaller towns, but no racist multiple murders. There are about 430,000 Roma among Slovakia's population of 5.4 million.
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