Police said “around 10 people” were killed at a school on Tuesday, in what has been described as the worst mass shooting in Sweden’s history. The suspected perpetrator is among the dead.
A large number of people were injured after a gunman opened fire at a campus in the city of Örebro in central Sweden, according to Roberto Eid Forest, the head of the city’s police district.
Speaking at a press conference late Tuesday, Forest explained that police were not able to report the exact death toll as the investigation was in its early stages.
Police said that the perpetrator was not known to them before the shooting and that he was not connected to any gangs. They also said they did not believe the motive was terror related. Police did not say what type of weapon was used by the gunman.
“We think he is a lone perpetrator,” Forest said. He added that the shooting was “extremely tragic, with many involved.”
“It’s a terrible event, it’s exceptional – a nightmare,” Forest added.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson offered his condolences to the victims and their families and thanked the police during a press conference on Tuesday. “We’ve today seen brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people – this is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history,” he said.
Speaking alongside the prime minister, the country’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer called it an “unspeakably sad tragedy.”
The shooting occurred inside Campus Risbergska – a school for adult education – which is located on a campus where other schools, including those for children, are based.
Officers were first called at around 12:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. ET), Forest said.
Six people had been taken to the local university hospital, including five with gunshot wounds, according to Jonas Claesson, the regional health care director. Four had undergone surgery, including two who are now in a stable condition, he said.
CNN affiliate Expressen reported earlier that there was an exchange of gunfire between the police and the perpetrator, quoting police spokesperson Lars Hedlin. It is unclear how many people were injured in total, but police said no officers were shot.
The public were urged to avoid the area and stay indoors.
Students are being transferred from schools next to the site of the shooting in Örebro, which lies 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
The police said in a later update they were investigating various addresses in Örebro and that work at the crime scene continued. “At the moment, the police believe that the perpetrator was acting alone, but we cannot rule out more perpetrators connected to the incident,” it said.
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf said his family received the news of the shooting “with sadness and dismay” in a written statement Tuesday.
“Tonight we send our condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. Our thoughts at this moment also go to the injured and their relatives as well as others affected,” the king said, adding his “appreciation” to the emergency services “who worked intensively to save and secure human lives on this dark day.”
