Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
International Business Times
International Business Times
World
Carla St. Louis

Hunter Kills Mayor In Austria Shooting Spree: 'It's Madness'

Police in Austria were hunting for 56-year-old Roland Drexler in connection with two murders. (Credit: State Police Upper Austria)

A manhunt is underway in northern Austria after a hunter killed the mayor and another person in an apparent dispute about hunting rights.

Roland Drexler, 56, allegedly shot Franz Hofer, mayor of Kirchberg ob der Donau, in Altenfelden, a region near Austria's border with Germany and the Czech Republic.

The other person's identity has not been released to the public.

Ulrike Handelbauer, a spokesperson for the Upper Austria police department bulletin warned that Drexler is "likely to be extremely dangerous and armed." A large police operation with helicopters and special forces is underway.

According to authorities, Drexler fled the scene in a Volkswagen Caddy van.

A dispute over hunting rights appeared to have sparked the incident, but no clear motive was given as to why the long-running feud escalated, CNN reported.

Drexler is known locally as a difficult figure in the hunting in Altenfelden, Kronen Zeitung, a local news outlet reported.

Florian Hiegelsperger, the state party leader of the People's Party (OVP) said "It's madness," the Mirror reported.

Police officers patrol near Rohrbach, Upper Austria, on October 28, 2024, during a manhunt for a gunman suspected of killing a local mayor and another person. (Credit: FRANZ PLECHINGER/APA/FOTOKERSCHI.AT/AFP via Getty Images)

Herbert Sieghartsleitner, the state hunting master, described the shooting as "unbelievable."

"I am deeply shocked by what has happened," Sieghartsleitner said. "I knew Franz Hofer very well personally."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.