The worst mass shooting in Sweden resulted in at least 11 deaths, including the assailant, at an adult education center located west of Stockholm. Authorities cautioned that the number of fatalities could increase following the incident.
By early Wednesday, the motive behind the gunman’s actions and the extent of injuries sustained were still undetermined. The nation, where school gun violence is exceptionally rare, was in shock over the level of bloodshed witnessed in the attack, making it challenging for law enforcement to accurately count the casualties amid the chaos.
The school, known as Campus Risbergska, provides primary and secondary education to adults aged 20 and above. Additionally, it offers Swedish language courses for immigrants, vocational training, and specialized programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Situated on the outskirts of Orebro, the facility is approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the west of Stockholm.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer called the shooting “an event that shakes our entire society to its core.”
The shooting started Tuesday afternoon after many students had gone home following a national exam. Students sheltered in nearby buildings, and other parts of the school were evacuated following the shooting.
Authorities were working to identify the deceased, and police said the toll could rise. Roberto Eid Forest, head of the local police, told reporters the suspected gunman was among the dead.
There were no warnings beforehand, and police believe the perpetrator acted alone. Police have not said if the man was a student at the school. They haven’t released a possible motive, but authorities said there were no suspected connections to terrorism at this point.
Police raided the suspect’s home after Tuesday’s shooting, but it wasn’t immediately clear what they found.
“Today, we have witnessed brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told reporters in Stockholm late Tuesday. “This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history. Many questions remain unanswered, and I cannot provide those answers either.
“But the time will come when we will know what happened, how it could occur, and what motives may have been behind it. Let us not speculate,” he said.
While gun violence at schools is very rare in Sweden, people were wounded or killed with other weapons such as knives or axes in several incidents in recent years.
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Dazio reported from Berlin. Geir Moulson in Berlin and Kwiyeon Ha in London contributed to this report.
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