Sweden's deadliest mass shooting leaves 11 dead, several injured: What we know
"When I looked behind me, I saw three people on the floor bleeding," said a student who witnessed the shooting.
A gunman killed 11 people in Sweden at an adult education center, marking the country's deadliest mass shooting.
A 35-year-old man is suspected of opening fire and killing 10 people in Risbergska School for Adults, an adult education center, then turning the gun on himself after shooting at police who arrived at the scene, according to Reuters. The shooting took place in Örebro, about 125 miles west of Stockholm, the country's capital.
It is the worst mass shooting in Sweden's history, according to the country's prime minister, Ulf Kristersson.
"It is hard to take in the full extent of what has happened today – the darkness that now lowers itself across Sweden tonight," Kristersson said at a news conference.
Here is what we know about the shooting so far.
Who were the victims?
At least 11 people, including the suspected gunman, are dead, and many more were injured.
Four women and two men were hospitalized after being shot, and five of them required surgery.
Others who weren't injured recalled the carnage the shooter left behind.
"A guy next to me was shot in the shoulder," Marwa, a student at the school, told broadcaster TV4. "He was bleeding a lot. When I looked behind me, I saw three people on the floor bleeding. Everyone was shocked. They said: 'Go out! Get out!'"
Police said they are using fingerprints and dental records to identify the dead, according to BBC. Ages and names have not been released yet.
Where did it happen?
The shooting occurred at Risbergska School for Adults, an adult education center for adults who either did not complete their formal education or could not get the grades required to attend higher education.
Many of the students in the adult education system are immigrants who are learning Swedish and studying to have better qualifications to find work in the Nordic country.
Who was the shooter?
Rickard Andersson, a 35-year-old man, is the suspected shooter, reported BBC and Sky News.
His motives behind the shooting were unclear, but police said they did not suspect the shooting was an act of terrorism.
"There is no information pointing to the culprit acting on ideological motives," the police department said on its website, according to Reuters.
Andersson is said to have hidden the weapon in a "guitar-shaped" box and changed his clothes in the school bathroom before he started shooting, Reuters reported. The news agency cited Aftonbladet, a daily tabloid that received the information from unnamed sources.
Andersson was described as a recluse, had limited contact with his family for years and was withdrawn from friends, according to Reuters. The man was also unemployed.
It is believed he had a hunting license and used a hunting weapon in the shooting, according to the Swedish public broadcaster SVT. Swedish police have not confirmed that, Reuters reported.
Mourning the victims
On Wednesday, the day after the shooting, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia visited the site of the tragedy and were expected to attend a memorial service later in the day. Kristersson and his wife joined the royal couple.
The king laid white flowers at a memorial site with candles near the school before he spoke with reporters.
"A grieving process is hard to do alone," he told reporters. "I think all of Sweden feels it has experienced this traumatic event."
Flags were flown at half-staff in Örebro, at the Swedish parliament and at the royal palace in Stockholm.
A condolence book where people could write their thoughts on the tragedy was at Örebro's city hall, according to the city's website. On Tuesday, a local church opened its doors to people seeking support.
High levels of gun ownership, but school shootings rare
Sweden has faced a wave of gang violence and has the highest rate of gun violence per capita in the European Union, according to Reuters.
Gang violence is the cause behind the shootings and bombings that plague the Nordic country, but shootings at schools are rare. From 2010 to 2022, 10 people were killed in seven violent incidents at Swedish schools, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.
This story has been updated to clarify the name of the suspected shooter.
Contributing: Johan Ahlander and Anna Ringstrom, Reuters
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