Probably with a rifle

Several shots fired at school building in Linz

According to the police, windows of the Diesterweg School were shot at at night with a rifle-like weapon or a slingshot with iron balls. Above, one of the bullet holes.(Bild: Harald Dostal, zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Property damage, soiling, theft - vandalism is almost a daily nuisance at the Diesterweg School in Linz. But now the situation has reached a new negative climax: during the night, unknown persons shot at the windows of the educational institution. SP city leader Klaus Luger reacted promptly.

Now the fun is over! In recent weeks and months, there has been repeated vandalism at the Diesterweg School, with damage to property, soiling and theft occurring almost daily. But the most recent incident is by far the most worrying so far: children and teachers from primary, middle and special schools now have to sit in classes with bullet holes.

 What happened? The windows of the school were shot out at night. The police and forensic experts believe it was a rifle-like weapon or a guided slingshot with iron balls.

Here, one of the bullets penetrated a window of the Diesterweg School.(Bild: zVg)

Principals call on the mayor for help
Graffiti on house walls, radical and extremist graffiti on school furniture, broken glass and syringes in the diving pits, drugs found on the grounds and attempted break-ins at doors are one thing - but this incident has now prompted the three desperate principals, who are responsible for almost 700 pupils on the grounds, to ask SP head of the city Klaus Luger, as the head of the school, for help.

Executive with increased controls 
And he is taking the situation extremely seriously and has also been in contact with the police to get an idea of the situation. "The police acted superbly right from the start. They have assured me that there will be increased checks around the area from now on. There will also be a focus on youth control officers," says Luger.

According to the police, windows of the Diesterweg School were shot at night with a rifle-like weapon or a slingshot with iron balls. Above, one of the bullet holes.(Bild: Harald Dostal, zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Video surveillance and fence coming
He has also spoken to the directors about structural measures. Until now, access to the school grounds has been relatively easy for strangers, especially via the parking lots and the fun court. "We will probably restrict these access points with fences. Although they can of course be overcome, they are at least one more obstacle," says the mayor.

There are also plans to equip the site with video surveillance in future. Luger: "Such cameras can not only help to apprehend possible perpetrators, but above all act as a deterrent."