CNN
—
The mayor of a northern Austrian town was shot dead on Monday morning and the suspect is on the run, local police said.
Franz Hofer, mayor of Kirchberg ob der Donau, was killed in Altenfelden, near the border with Germany and the Czech Republic.
A second man was also shot dead at a later time, Upper Austria police spokesperson Ulrike Handelbauer told CNN.
The suspect fled the scene and a large-scale police operation with helicopters and special forces is underway, she said.
“Unfortunately, we assume that the perpetrator we are looking for could be carrying the weapon,” Handelbauer said, according to local media.
Police told CNN that the trigger of the crime appeared to be a dispute over hunting rights.
This is a developing story. More details to come.