Sweden shooting leaves ‘several dead’ as police helicopter hunts suspect | World | News
Several people are feared dead following a shooting in Vaksala Square, in the Swedish city of Uppsala. A major police operation is underway after reports of loud bangs.
“I heard five to six shots,” a witness who lives nearby told Aftonbladet. A man is believed to have fled the scene on an electric scooter and a manhunt is underway. The man is said to be wearing sunglasses and dark clothing, according to the police description. Three people are dead, according to information provided to Aftonbladet. A police helicopter is circling the scene. The shooting took place in connection with a hair salon, according to Aftonbladet’s reporter on site. The police have set up large roadblocks in the area.
“To be honest, you start to get used to it, but it’s not pleasant at all,” said Henrik Envall, who runs a record store nearby.
The shooting happened on the eve of the Walpurgis spring festival, which brings large crowds onto the streets.
A witness who lives nearby told Aftonbladet that it happened at 5:10pm.
They said: “There was a shot and then I heard screams.
“Then it took about 10 minutes before the police got there. It must have been on the street from what I could see.”
Walpurgis Night — or Walpurgis Spring Festival — is a traditional celebration held on the night of April 30 into May 1 across parts of Northern and Central Europe, particularly in Sweden, Germany, Finland and the Czech Republic. The festival marks the arrival of spring.
Gun violence linked to organised crime has become a growing concern in Sweden, despite the country having some of the strictest gun laws in Europe. By 2021, gun violence by organised crime had increased tenfold since the early 1990s.
By 2023, gun violence in Sweden had risen to 2.5 times the European average. Most of the violence continued to be attributable to an influx of guns, drug dealing and marginalised immigrant communities.
In February, a 35-year-old man shot and killed 10 students and injured 12 others before committing suicide at Campus Risbergska, an adult education centre in Örebro. According to Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, it is the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history.
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