Keris- Tragedy struck the western Prydanian city of Keris as five unidentified gunmen opened fire on a crowd of club goers at the LGBT+ club InAura Saturday evening around 11:45pm. Thirty-six patrons were killed, another thirteen were injured. The gunmen, who all fled the scene following the shooting, wore black ski masks. Witnesses say that they spoke Makari, making foreign terrorism unlikely.
Jesper Borup, Chief of Police for Keris and the Kanadian March territories of the Crownlands, admitted that Keris Police had no leads but stressed that evidence was being gathered.
"We have had a few social media posts that private citizens have brought to our attention but we're ruling them out at the present time" the Police Chief said in a prepared statement. The police have not released the calibre of ammunition used but witness reports are consistent in describing semi-automatic weaponry and a coordinated fire team.
"It's unfortunate, but thanks to the Civil War? There is no shortage of people with this training and experience" Borup stated.
"We're going to do what we can" he added, stressing that the investigation was only beginning.
Support for the victims and Prydania's LGBT+ community came from a wide array of sources soon after the news broke. His Majesty stated "our society is one of inclusiveness. We stand with the victims and the LGBTQ+ community and we will do what needs to be done to see justice served."
Prime Minister Magnus Brandt echoed His Majesty's sentiments while adding that "homophobia and transphobia have no place in Prydania. We as a society can no longer revert to violence."
Conservative-Agrarian Alliance leader Tenna Nygaard stated "this attack on the LGBT community of Prydania is an attack on us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims. We need to do more to eliminate hate!"
Annie Gram, leader of the social democratic People's Party, emphasized the need to ensure this can never happen again.
"The War left too many military-grade weapons in the hands of private citizens. Our government needs to take a tougher stand on confiscating these weapons. An assault rifle is not a hunting rifle. It has no place in the hands of civilians."
"We need to work on this while also working on healing the wounds of the LGBTQ+ community" she added. "We heal as one."
Not all political outlets had the same message, however. Messianic League co-founder Hægla Gleði Vatnáin released a statement early Sunday stating "sin begets sin, defiance to God begets violence. We cannot expect peace so long as we continue to deny God's law in our lands."
Flutter users were quick to lambaste the young political party for its callous response to the tragedy, causing the party to flutt "we do not condone violence, sin is sin." This didn't stem the criticism. Ms. Vatnáin stood by her comments, however, claiming she "refused to get drawn into a game of out-of-context 'gotcha' discourse."
The officers of the Messianic League in nearby Landerene could not be reached for comment.
A memorial for the victims is planned at Keris City Centre in two days.