BRATISLAVA, August 31, (WEBNOVINY) — Autopsy confirmed that gunman Lubomir Harman who on Monday shot and killed seven people in the Bratislava residential area of Devinska Nova Ves, was hit by a fatal shot of a police officer before he shot himself in the head. “Subsequently, probably in order to shorten the suffering, the offender shot himself in the head with his assault rifle,” stated Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic at a news conference in Bratislava on Tuesday.
The massacre will lead to legislative changes, the interior minister informed. In a few days, the Interior Ministry will prepare a legal amendment according to which automatic rifles will be prohibited even for sport-related purposes. Holders of guns will have to take psychological tests every five years. Also, as of Wednesday, September 1, 2010, all police patrols on duty will be armed with Czech manufactured SA 61 Skorpion machine pistols.
The person behind the massacre was identified as 48-old Lubomir Harman, who had not been a professional soldier as some media reported earlier. He served two-years basic military service from 1981 to 1983. He had been unemployed since August 1, 2008. He was a member of the Club of Reservist Soldiers. “He participated in shooting contests and meetings,” reported Police President Jaroslav Spisiak. According to the club’s chairman, he never complained about any problems with neighbors and was not aggressive. Spisiak added that the gunman did not communicate with his neighbors much. The first six victims, who were the primary target of the shooting rampage, were a Roma family that lived next-door to the gunman. They included a mother, two daughters, 12-year-old grand-son, a male friend of one of the daughters, and husband of the other daughter. The seventh victim was short and killed at random.
SITA