A police helicopter is pictured near Rohrbach, Upper Austria, on October 28, 2024, after at least one person was shot dead in the Muehlviertel region in the morning, according to Austrian media reports. Photo by Daniel BAYER / various sources / AFP
Vienna: A manhunt was under way in northern Austria Monday for an "extremely dangerous" gunman suspected of killing a local mayor and another person, authorities said.
Police discovered the body of a man in a meadow in the village of Altenfelden in the Upper Austria province early on Monday.
Local officials later identified the victim as the mayor of the nearby town of Kirchberg ob der Donau, adding that "a dispute over hunting rights" was likely behind the shooting.
"Police are looking for a 56-year-old local, who is believed to be still armed and extremely dangerous," spokeswoman Ulrike Handlbauer told Austrian broadcaster ORF.
She said the second victim was a former hunting official.
The area has been completely sealed off.
In a statement, regional governor Thomas Stelzer deplored the "inconceivable acts (that) have shocked our country", expressing his "deepest sympathy" for the families and relatives.
