Book launch ends in tragedy

A fatal shooting took place on Thursday night at a Prague restaurant only hours after it was the scene of the launch of a new book by opposition leader Jiří Paroubek, the head of the Social Democratic Party. Killed was the son of Mr Paroubek’s former advisor and associate Václav Kočka. He was shot by another of the guests at the event. The suspect, Bohumír Ďuričko, is in custody. The shooting followed a verbal dispute: eyewitnesses said the two men argued before Mr Ďurička drew a firearm and fired three shots, killing Václav Kočka jr. The incident happened in the late hours of the evening after the majority of guests, as well as the opposition leader, had already departed the launch.