Sweden Mass shooting leaves at least 11 dead at Adult Education Center

Orebro, Sweden (AP) – Sweden’s worst mass shooting Left at least 11 people died, including the gunman, and at least five seriously injured in an adult education center west of Stockholm.

The shooter’s motive had not been determined at noon Wednesday as The Scandinavian Nation – Where pistolds in schools are very rare – rolled from an attack.

“Not in this place,” Malin Hilmberg (37) told Associated Press as she stood near a growing provisional memorial near the scene. “I mean, we heard about it in different parts of the world, but of course it’s a shock. It’s your hometown and so many lives ruined. It’s hard to find words. “

Officials said Wednesday that three women and two men, all with gunshot wounds, underwent an operation at Orebro University Hospital. Everyone was in serious but stable state after they were hospitalized with life -threatening injuries. Another woman was treated for easier injuries and was stable.

Jonas Claesson, regional director of health and medical services, said two of the gunfire were in intensive care Wednesday. All the victims are over 18, officials said. No other patients related to the shooting were admitted to Orebro University Hospital overnight.

Tragedy ‘shaking our entire community to its core’

The school, called Campus Risbergska, offers primary and secondary educational classes for adults aged 20 years and older, Swedish -language classes for immigrants, vocational education and programs for people with intellectual disabilities. The school is on the outskirts of Orebro, which is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Stockholm.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer called the shooting “an event that shakes our entire community to its core.” King Carl XVI Gustaf and Prime Minister Ulf Kristerssson Ordered flags to be winged to half staff at Royal Palace and Government Buildings. Mourners gathered outside the school, comforted each other and fell off candles and flowers to honor the victims.

“It’s very strange to be in the middle where I live in Sweden, in Orebro, and this is all over the world,” said Emelia Fredriksson, 53. “They see us now, and it’s a very strange feeling.”

The king and queen Silvia visited Orebro on Wednesday and planned to go to a memorial in the city in the afternoon, the palace said. Kristerssson and Strömmer were also expected to participate.

“We are here to show our grief to all the families who have their loved ones who have people who have lost their lives,” the monarch told journalists outside the provisional memorial. “But they also have to always remember that they are not alone. I think today all of Sweden will participate and stand behind them. “

Football team Degerfors If and Orebro Syrianska will wear black bracelets in a trouble -season match on Wednesday night and hold a minute’s silence before kickoff, Degerfors said.

‘The worst hours of my life’

The shooting started Tuesday afternoon After many students had gone home after a national exam. Survivor shrinked by cover When the shots called out, you protected themselves behind or under what they could find to escape the gunman and gore. A woman with children feared she might never see them again while another used her friend’s shawl to tighten the bleeding of a man who had been shot in the shoulder.

“It was the worst hours of my life. I didn’t know if I would be shot there and then or in 10 minutes. You simply waited, ”Hellen Werme, 35, told the Expressen newspaper.

Other students who were protected in nearby buildings and other parts of the school were evacuated after the shooting.

Authorities worked on identifying the deceased. Police said officers discovered the gunman died at school when they arrived. It was unclear how the gunman died.

Roberto Eid Forest, head of the local police, said the school’s large premises meant it took a long time for officers to search campus to make sure there were no more victims. Police heard shots when they arrived and initially thought they were fired, he said.

Eid Forest said six officers were treated for smoke breathing. There was not a fire, he said, but the authorities did not immediately know what caused smoke.

Cannons in Sweden

Police would not say if the shooter had more guns, nor would they say what kind of firearms were used in the shooting. While pistolds at schools are very rare in Sweden, people were wounded or killed with Other weapons such as knives Or axes in several incidents in recent years.

In order to have a firearm legally, applicants need to get a Weapon License and demonstrate that it will be used for a acceptable purposesuch as hunting or target shooting. Applicants for the license must also submit previously obtained hunting or target recording certificates. Hunting certificates require people to pass a training course, while target shooters must be certified as active and experienced members of clubs.

All weapons must be stored in safe cabinets approved by the police. Applications for fully automatic weapons or one -hand weapons are only allocated for extraordinary reasons, and such permits are generally limited.

Permissions are revoked if weapons are changed to be significantly different from its original function.

No motive yet

There were no warnings in advance and police believe the perpetrator was acting alone. Police have not said if the man was a student at school. They have not released one Possible motiveBut the authorities said there was no suspicion of terrorism relations at this time.

Police attacked the suspect home after Tuesday’s shooting, but it was not immediately clear what they found. Police warned the public against spreading wrong stories on social media.

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Dazio reported from Berlin. Mimmi Montgomery and Kwiyeon Ha in London and John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.