Czech Republic: Projectiles fired at Romani people at the Máj housing estate

Last Saturday evening at the Máj housing estate in České Budějovice, someone
used either a popgun or a slingshot to fire projectiles at a small group of
Romani people. Fortunately, no one was physically injured.

One of the shots broke the window of a passing automobile. The incident took
place on V. Volf Street as the Romani people were coming home from swimming.

"On Saturday at around 8 PM we were coming back from the swimming pool. As we
made it up to our home on the seventh floor I heard two shots. It sounded like
they were fired from a pistol or a small-bore rifle," Roman Slivka, the South
Bohemian Regional Romani Coordinator, who lives at the Máj housing estate,
described the dramatic moment to news server Romea.cz.

"We called the police. A patrol arrived a moment later, but they did not
believe us when we said shots had been fired. While we were dealing with them,
someone fired the weapon again and broke the back window of a car that was
driving by. They started to believe us then, but later they told us that someone
probably was using a slingshot. They went to look for the perpetrator, but they
have not managed to determine who fired the shots," Slivka told news server
Romea.cz.

The police say they immediately began to search the surrounding buildings
after arriving at the scene in order to find the shooter, but were unsuccessful.
"Officers from the Čtyři Dvory district department are investigating the damage
done to a Škoda Octavia on Saturday at around 9 PM on V. Volf Street in the
regional capital. An unidentified troublemaker broke the rear window of the
company-owned car, causing damages in excess of CZK 4 000," South Bohemian
Regional Police spokesperson Lenka Holická said of the incident.

Police also say it is not yet clear what the shooter used to fire the shot. "From
the report it seems that the damage to the vehicle was evidently caused by using
an air gun, but the results of the investigation do not rule out the use of an
ordinary slingshot," Holická said, adding that police for now are investigating
the incident as one of disorderly conduct.

This is not the first time shots have been fired at Romani people on the
grounds of the housing estate. In 2006 a perpetrator shot juggling diabolos from
a popgun at several Romani people on V. Volf Street and hit them.