VIENNA — A family dispute in Vienna’s Leopoldstadt district erupted into bloodshed Tuesday night, leaving two people dead and two others fighting for their lives.
Police said the gunman, a 44-year-old Serbian national, opened fire inside an apartment on Vorgartenstrasse, killing a 44-year-old woman believed to be his wife. Their 24-year-old daughter and a 26-year-old man sustained severe gunshot wounds and were rushed to nearby hospitals, the daughter in critical condition.
Two younger children were also inside the apartment but escaped unharmed.
Residents reported hearing gunfire around 7:30 p.m. Witnesses said shots rang out inside the building before continuing on the street, where the suspect exchanged fire with responding officers. “We heard four loud shots,” one neighbor recalled.
The attacker attempted to flee in a Mercedes but was discovered minutes later dead in the vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities have not determined whether he was killed by police bullets or his own weapon.
Investigators are exploring whether the violence was linked to the couple’s pending divorce. Police emphasized there was no ongoing threat to the public, though nearby streets were cordoned off as evidence was collected.
By night’s end, flashing lights lit the neighborhood as stunned residents gathered behind barricades. What began as a domestic conflict left a family shattered and a community shaken.
