Josef Gautsch
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- Gender
- male
- Country
- Austria
- Location
- Mauterndorf, Salzburg, Austria
- Date of birth
- 1961
- Age at first offence
- 36
- Characteristics
- spree killer, domestic violence
- Victim profile
- Wernfried Gappmayer, 55 / Harald Moser, 39, his wife Gabrielle Artner, 40, and their daughter Elizabeth, 3 / Setefan Bader, 19, and Irene Schitter, 22
- Method of murder
- Shooting
- Date(s) of murder
- November 22, 1997
- Years active
- 1997
- Date of arrest
- —
- Status
-
Died in custody
Committed suicide by shooting himself on 22 November 1997
Overview
Josef Gautsch killed seven people in a central Austrian town in the Austrian province of Salzburg before turning the gun on himself on 22 November 1997. The dead included Josef Gautsch’s ex-wife, her 3-year-old daughter, her live-in companion, and a school principal who also served as deputy mayor of the town. Josef Gautsch, identified as a 36-year-old mechanic, shot and killed the others before killing himself shortly after the shootings.
Timeline
- Thursday evening (exact date not provided) — Josef Gautsch began a killing spree, shooting dead the headmaster of the village school at Mauterndorf, west of Salzburg.
- Thursday evening (exact date not provided) — Josef Gautsch killed the 19-year-old new owner of his former house, then killed the 22-year-old live-in companion and their 3-year-old daughter while they watched TV.
- Thursday evening (exact date not provided) — Josef Gautsch apparently spared the life of an 18-month-old boy who was asleep in a cradle.
- Thursday evening (exact date not provided) — Josef Gautsch fired five pistol shots at a man whose girlfriend he coveted, but missed him.
- 22 November 1997 — Josef Gautsch shot and killed himself shortly after the shootings.
The offence
Seven people were killed when a 36-year-old man ran amok with a pistol in the Austrian province of Salzburg. Police said he shot dead six people before killing himself when police caught up with him. Police declined to provide details of the other five victims.
The gunman shot and killed the headmaster of the village school at Mauterndorf, west of Salzburg. He then killed the 19-year-old new owner of his former house, and killed the 22-year-old live-in companion and their 3-year-old daughter while they watched TV. Josef Gautsch apparently spared the life of an 18-month-old boy who was asleep in a cradle.
Josef Gautsch also fired five pistol shots at a man whose girlfriend he coveted, but missed him. He still lived in the same house but was due to move out by the end of the year.
Investigation and policing
Police said they caught up with Josef Gautsch after he had killed six people and that he killed himself shortly after the shootings.
Background and wider context
The attack followed a pattern of concerns about gun laws in Austria. Austria tightened its gun control laws in July in response to previous shootings. On the day after the shooting, Karl Schloegl, the Austrian Interior Minister, called for new gun laws after the shooting of six people near Salzburg and said he would seek parliamentary approval for urgently-needed legislation.
The incident came in the same week as a civil servant shot his wife, mother and brother before surrendering to the police south of Vienna.
Other details
Josef Gautsch was described as a 36-year-old mechanic. The gunman was identified as Josef Gautsch.
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