A shooting on Tuesday at an adult education campus in central Sweden killed at least 11 people, including the attacker, the police said on Wednesday.
What we currently know is as follows:
What happened and when?
On Tuesday, at 12:33 p.m. local time (11:33 GMT), a shooting occurred in an adult education facility in Orebro, Oregon. The police initially claimed five people had been killed.
Shots were fired in quick succession, witnesses say and videos show. When they heard the gunshots, teachers inside the classrooms reportedly fled or ensnared themselves inside.
Maria Pegado, 54, a teacher at the school, told Reuters: “I took all my 15 students out into the hallway and we started running. We made it out after two shots, though. We were close to the school entrance. I saw people dragging injured out, first one, then another. I realised it was very serious”.
Where was the shooting?
The shooting took place at Campus Risbergska in Orebro city, 200km (124 miles) west of the Swedish capital Stockholm.
What is Risbergska School for adults?
The school is intended for people over the age of 20 who have failed to earn the grades necessary for higher education. Schools such as Risbergska are known as “Komvux” in Swedish.
The school offers vocational training and Swedish language instruction to about 2, 000 students.
What do we know about the attacker?
When they discovered the suspected attacker, a man, he was dead, according to Swedish police.
Roberto Eid Forest, the suspect’s police chief, stated at a news conference on Wednesday that “there is a lot of evidence that” the suspect had self-inflicted the gun.
The police said he was acting alone, but that the motive for the shooting is still a mystery and is still being looked into. Prior to the shooting, the attacker was unknown to the police, and they claimed they had not discovered any connections between him and any gangs or organizations. Does this imply that there has been no evidence of a link to terrorism?
The man had a hunting license, according to the Swedish public service television company Sveriges Television (SVT), without citing any sources. He resided in Orebro. He added that he was using a rifle as a weapon.
The man was 35 years old, according to the Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet. According to the report, relatives claimed he was a recluse who had abandoned his family and friends.
What do we know about the victims?
Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that 11 people, including the attacker, were killed.
The police have warned that the death toll  could rise, according to SVT, and authorities have not yet confirmed the number of injured people.
Six people were taken to a nearby university hospital, five of whom had gunshot wounds, according to the police’s news conference on Wednesday. In intensive care are still two patients.
According to police spokesman Fredrik Svedemyr, who was quoted by the Anadolu news agency, “We do not have a complete picture at this time regarding the number of injured.”
There is regrettable a risk that the number won’t drop to 11 because we also don’t know about the injury situation for those receiving hospital care, Svedemyr said.
What are the reactions?
- King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden said in a statement on Tuesday that he had been given the news of the shooting with “sadness and dismay.”
- On Wednesday, all government buildings and royal palaces’ flags flew at half-staff. This was announced in media releases from the government, royal family and parliament speaker.
- On Tuesday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote, “It is a very painful day for all of Sweden. Being locked in a classroom, fearing for your life, is a nightmare that no one should have to experience”.
- In an X-post, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote, “Such violence and terrorism have no place in our societies, not the least of which in schools. In this dark hour, we stand with the people of Sweden”.
What happened today in Örebro is truly horrifying.
Such violence and terror have no place in our societies—least of all in schools.
In this dark hour, we stand with the people of Sweden.
Our thoughts are with the victims, and we wish them strength and a swift recovery. https://t.co/Z8XaHDfZBy
- 16-year-old Linn, a pupil who attends school near the site of the shooting told AFP: “I was standing there, watching what was happening, and I was just around here when I saw some bodies lying on the ground. I don’t know if they were dead or injured”.
- Liv Demir, 36, whose son attends a school nearby, and also takes gym classes at Campus Risbergska, told AFP: “I became numb, speechless. I didn’t really know where to go”.
How rare are shootings in Sweden?
In Sweden, shootings were once uncommon. The attack, according to PM Kristersson, was “the worst mass shooting in Swedish history.”
However, Sweden has seen a rise in shootings and bombings associated with gang violence.
There were 296 shootings in Sweden in 2024, which resulted in the deaths of 44 people and injuries to 66 people, police data shows. In 2022, 391 shootings occurred across Sweden, setting the record for the most shootings. Some 62 people died and 107 were injured during that year.
In Sweden, there have also been a few recent instances of violence at schools. In March 2022, a student, 18, stabbed and killed two teachers in Sweden’s city of Malmo.
Source: Aljazeera
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