Cliff Notes
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Three fatalities have been reported following a shooting in Uppsala, leading to a murder investigation by local authorities.
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Witnesses described hearing five shots and observing individuals fleeing the scene.
- The shooting coincided with the eve of Walpurgis Night, raising concerns about public safety amidst ongoing gang violence in Sweden.
Three people killed after shooting in Sweden
Three people have been killed after a shooting in Sweden.
A murder investigation has been launched following the incident in the city of Uppsala.
Witnesses told local media they heard five shots and saw people in the area running to take cover.
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A spokesperson for the force said it had information that someone had left the scene on an electric scooter – it was unclear whether they were a suspect, witness, or otherwise.
Electric scooters have been used several times as a mode of transport after gang shootings in the country.
In a statement, Swedish justice minister Gunnar Strommer said: “A brutal act of violence has occurred in central Uppsala… this is at the same time as the whole of Uppsala has begun Walpurgis Night.
“What has happened is extremely serious.”
The shooting took place on the eve of the Walpurgis spring festival in the city.
Local media reported that the attack took place near or in a hairdresser’s.
In February, 10 people were killed in the city of Orebro in the country’s deadliest-ever mass shooting after a 35-year-old opened fire in an adult learning centre.
It has tightened laws and given more powers to police and after the Orebro shooting it vowed to tighten gun laws as well.
Sources
At least three people killed in shooting in Sweden, police say – The Globe and Mail
Sweden shooting: Three people killed in city of Uppsala – BBC
Three people killed in shooting in Sweden, police say – Reuters