Austrian police have warned that a fleeing hunter who yesterday killed two people following a dispute over his license could kill dozens more, while 50 terrified people have been taken under police protection.
Austrian authorities have launched a major search for suspect and hunter Roland Drexler, 56, who allegedly killed a mayor and a retired police officer turned hunting manager in a quiet 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 was on his way to a pedicure salon in the Fraunschlag district of Altenfelden.
Witnesses saw the two men get out of their respective cars at the same time, before Drexler shot Hofer around 8:30 a.m. As the mayor fled to a nearby meadow, Drexler shot him once again, this time with a weapon suitable for longer distances.
After returning to his car, he drove to nearby Arnreit, less than a mile away from where Hofer was shot, before entering his second victim’s open house and shooting him dead in his living room, before flee to an unknown place.
Austrian authorities have launched a major search for suspect and hunter Roland Drexler (pictured)
Austria’s mayor Franz Hofer (pictured) was shot dead yesterday morning.
Law enforcement officers walk past gathered media during the chase on October 28, 2024 near Rohrbach, Austria.
Police believe the shooting began after several hunters made accusations 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, police 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 pistol, and dangerous.
His whereabouts are currently unknown and neighbors fear for their lives.
A father of three who spoke to local media said that as soon as he learned Drexler was on the run, “we immediately locked down.”
A mother of two children said: ‘We are afraid. My mother-in-law and I are not going out.
Police officers patrol near Rohrbach, Upper Austria, on October 28, 2024, during the chase for a gunman suspected of killing a local mayor and another person.
Law enforcement officers patrol during a chase on October 28, 2024 near Rohrbach, Austria
Police officers patrol near Rohrbach, Upper Austria, on October 28, 2024, during the chase for a gunman suspected of killing a local mayor and another person.
Drexler left both of his phones at one of his homes, and an initial investigation conducted in the immediate area with dogs, drones and helicopters turned up no solid leads, leaving open the possibility that he is still in the region.
More than 250 police officers are still in the area surrounding the murder sites, working to secure buildings, protect people and search for the fugitive.
Police have expanded their search and are looking for him in Germany and the Czech Republic, and an international arrest warrant has now been issued.
Questions have been raised about how he was forced to commit such a crime.
The local prosecutor’s office said he was a “blank slate” as he had never been criminally charged in his life.
More than 250 police officers are still in the area surrounding the murder sites, working to secure buildings, protect people and search for the fugitive.
Police have expanded their search and are looking for him in Germany and the Czech Republic and an international arrest warrant has already been issued.
Police have been working through the night to find more clues in their search for the killer.
It is said that a year ago he divorced his wife, with whom he had three children. The police are currently questioning them.
A man who knew him said he was “a sociable and fun person, as long as it didn’t involve hunting.”
Herbert Sieghartsleitner, state game chief: ‘I am deeply shocked by what has happened. He knew Franz Hofer personally very well. It’s incredible what’s happening right now.”
Thomas Stelzer, center-right governor of Upper Austria, said: “These scandalous actions have shocked our state. In these difficult times all our thoughts and our deep compassion are with the families and all their members.”
