Gunman dead after killing 6 at Czech hospital, police say

Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A gunman who killed six people at a hospital in the Czech Republic Tuesday led authorities on a manhunt and ultimately shot himself when police closed in, officials said.

The 42-year-old man fled after he opened fire at the Ostrava hospital. Police said he killed six and injured two others. Ostrava is located 170 miles east of Prague. He was not immediately identified.

Police said they eventually located the man

"Police found the car, there was shooting heard from the site," local police tweeted. "We are establishing the identity of the man who shot himself in the head before the police action."

Authorities said four men and two women were among the dead. Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the shooting happened in a waiting room of the hospital. All of the victims appeared to be patients, shot at close range.

"The information from Ostrava university hospital [is] tragic," Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech said. "I am in touch with the hospital's director and I am following the situation remotely. Thank you [to] the police and the hospital staff for their work on location."

Investigators are not yet sure about a motive.