The mayor of a northern Austrian town was shot dead on Monday morning and the suspect is on the run.
According to foreign media, Franz Hofer , the 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 a short time later, Upper Austria police spokeswoman Ulrike Handelbauer said.
The suspect fled the scene and a large-scale police operation involving helicopters and special forces is underway, she said.
"Unfortunately, we assume that the perpetrator we are looking for may be carrying the weapon," Handelbauer said, according to local media.
Police told CNN that the cause of the crime appeared to be a dispute over hunting rights./CNN