11 dead in Swedish school "I looked down and there was blood"

Shots are fired at a Swedish school; around eleven people are killed. Many questions remain unanswered after the crime. The Swedes still have to wait for answers, says the Minister of Justice.

DPA

05.02.2025, 05:20

05.02.2025, 10:11

dpa

Investigations are continuing after the fatal shooting at a school in Örebro, Sweden. The motive for the crime, in which around eleven people died, is still unclear. At a press conference in the evening, Sweden's Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said that the police were working on identifying the deceased and informing their relatives.

"We all want to understand why," Strömmer said, adding: "We have to wait for those answers." He called the crime the worst gun attack ever in Sweden.

Around eleven people were killed by gunfire at Campus Risbergska, an adult education facility. The suspected perpetrator is believed to be one of the dead, said Roberto Eid Forest, head of the local police. It was initially unclear how many people were injured.

Investigators do not believe it was an act of terrorism

Shots were fired at the Risbergska campus, an adult education facility, at around midday. Ingela Bäck Gustafsson, the principal, said in an interview with the SVT radio station that she was on her lunch break when students shouted past her and told her to leave the school grounds. "When I was in the schoolyard, I heard gunshots very close by," Bäck Gustafsson said. "We ran for our lives," said the principal.

The alleged perpetrator was not known to the police, Eid Forest said. He had no connection to a gang. Investigators assumed that the man acted alone on Tuesday afternoon and that the crime was not an act of terrorism.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X that it was a very painful day for the whole of Sweden. He was thinking of those affected and their families, as well as all those whose normal school day had been replaced by terror. Kristersson added: "No one should have to experience the nightmare of sitting in a classroom and fearing for their life."

Police operation at home address

Sweden's King, Carl XVI Gustaf, expressed his condolences to the relatives of the deceased in a written statement and thanked the police and emergency services as well as the hospital staff for saving lives on this "dark day".

During the operation, which involved numerous police and rescue workers, the students and teachers were accommodated in their own and neighboring schools and stores. People in the surrounding area were asked to stay away from the school.

Later in the afternoon, the police were deployed heavily armed at a residential address in Örebro, according to media reports. According to consistent reports, this could be the home of the alleged perpetrator. The officers did not provide any further information.

"I looked down and there was blood"

62-year-old teacher Lasse told the Swedish newspaper "Aftonbladet" that he saw pupils throwing themselves on the floor. When the door was opened again two hours later, they were dead. "It's so surreal," he says.

Shortly before the first alarm went off, Lasse went to the canteen with nine other fellow teachers. As his next lesson wasn't due to start until 1 p.m., he suggested having another coffee. Then suddenly there was a bang in the classroom next to the canteen. "Are they fighting in there?" asked Lasse.

Out of curiosity, Lasse opened the door to the school corridor. There he saw three students throwing themselves on the floor. Lasse didn't understand anything. He thought it was a disaster drill. Then he closed the door again.

Shortly afterwards, they received notifications on their teacher app about "ongoing deadly violence", he continues.

At a quarter to two, the police finally arrived. As the teacher explains, they had to stand in a line and close their eyes during the evacuation. Lasse looks anyway. The pupil he had seen earlier throwing himself on the floor was now lying in a pool of blood.

"I looked down and there was blood," he says. "We hugged and cried," he says.

Alleged shooter is said to have lived a very secluded life

More and more details about the suspected shooter are now becoming known. According to various Swedish media reports, he is said to have owned a hunting rifle. He is also said to have lived a very secluded life.

He is said to have moved out of his parents' house in his early 20s. He then changed his surname eight years ago - for unknown reasons, according to relatives in "Aftonbladet". The police have not yet confirmed the name change.

The relatives report of a loner who had become increasingly distant from family and friends. "We haven't had much contact with him in recent years. He was different as a child, lively. He was good at school. He hasn't had it easy in recent years," says a relative.

Another relative also says: "He was very often alone and had problems with his mental health. He didn't seem to like people."

Flags at half-mast at schools

The radio station SVT reported that the adult school Campus Risbergska will remain closed for the rest of the week. The other schools in Örebro will be open on Wednesday, but the flags will be flown at half-mast. The children and young people will be offered crisis support, reports SVT.

Örebro is located around 200 kilometers west of the Swedish capital Stockholm. The Risbergska campus is a kind of educational center where adults aged 20 and over can attend secondary school, high school and language courses as well as vocational training.