Roman Samotný and President Zuzana Čaputová the day after the murders in Tepláreň. (source: TASR)
Matúš and Juraj were fragile, vulnerable. They hoped they could live in this country and be respected, but they did not get the chance. That is how the owner of the Tepláreň gay bar, Roman Samotný, describes the two men who were murdered in Bratislava.
A gunman killed two people on Wednesday, October 12. The shooting took place shortly after 19:00 outside Tepláreň, one of the very few LGBT+ spots in the city.
What do you feel now? Anger, sadness, despair?
Pain. It hurts terribly, because the people who died were also our friends and loved ones. It's a huge loss. A huge loss of people, and a loss of home. Tepláreň was home for us. It was where we felt safe. We were like a family.
Are people of the community afraid now?
Certainly yes, because it was not an accident. The killer came there to execute people. He's been planning this for a long time, if the Twitter posts are true. He came simply to murder LGBT+ people. He probably wanted as many of them as possible to be there. He just came to kill.
Was it just a coincidence that there were not more victims?
