Hradec Králové, Czech Republic: 14-year-old dies after being stabbed at train station, local Romani communities are aiding family with the funeral, memorial on Sunday
Czech Police have charged a 32-year-old man from Hradec Králové with the murder of a 14-year-old boy. According to detectives, after an argument the man attacked the teenager with a kitchen knife in the late afternoon on Thursday in the railway yard of the Hradec Králové train station.
The boy died at the scene as a result of his injuries. Police spokesperson Iva Kormošová informed the Czech News Agency (ČTK) of the events.
Police arrested the suspect at his residence in Hradec Králové one hour after the crime was committed. “We will file a motion with the prosecutor as soon as possible for the accused to be remanded into custody,” Kormošová said.
Should the man be convicted, he faces a prison sentence of between 15 and 20 years or extraordinary sentencing. Dozens of police officers searched for the suspect on Thursday after 17:30, searching the railway station and elsewhere.
Operations were suspended and then limited on Thursday between 17:40 and 18:40 because of the manhunt. The crime was committed between the railway tracks beyond the platform, police said.
Nobody else was harmed during the incident. Police have released very little information because the investigation is still underway and the victim is a minor below the age of 15.
Local residents allege the perpetrator was a beggar who moved around in the neighborhood of the railway station quite frequently and who likely uses drugs. In Hradec Králové and in Pardubice, the Romani community is currently aiding the boy’s family with his funeral.
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“In Pardubice, aid donations to the bereaved will be collected on Saturday, 6 January between 14:00 and 16:30 at the Roma Center,” Andrej Horváth posted to Facebook. On Sunday 7 January at 14:00 a memorial will be held at the Hradec Králové railway station.
“It will be held where it happened, at the tracks, where Platform 1 is. Whoever wants can come and pay their respects to the memory of Filip,” announced Vojtěch Demeter of the nonprofit organization Roma -spolek HK (HK Romani Society) on Facebook.
“I regret the young life that has been taken in Hradec Králové. Sincere condolences to his family,” posted Czech Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková to Facebook on Friday.
The Mayor of Hradec Králové, Pavlína Springerová (Hradecký demokratický klub – Hradec Democratic Club), has expressed her concern over the case. “I will follow all of the details and circumstances of this case quite thoroughly. We must do all we can so that nothing of the sort ever recurs in Hradec,” she posted to Facebook.
