Sweden mass shooting at school for adults is country’s worst ever, with 11 dead including the gunman

Orebro, Sweden — Sweden’s worst-ever mass shooting left at least 11 people dead on Tuesday, including the gunman, and at least five seriously wounded at an adult education center west of Stockholm. The gunman’s motive hadn’t been determined by early Wednesday as the Scandinavian nation — where gun violence at schools is very rare — reeled from an attack with such bloodshed that police early on said it was difficult to count the number of dead among the carnage.

Police chief Roberto Eid Forest, for the city of Orebro, about 100 miles west of Stockholm, where the tragedy played out, said Wednesday there was “a lot to indicate that” the gunman had shot himself, saying he was found already dead when police reached him.

Officials said Wednesday that three women and two men, all with gunshot wounds, had undergone surgery at Orebro University Hospital. All were in serious but stable condition after being admitted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Another woman was treated for minor injuries and was stable.

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

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

Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer called the shooting “an event that shakes our entire society to its core.” King Carl XVI Gustaf and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the Royal Palace and government buildings.

The king and Queen Silvia were in Orebro and would visit the school district and attend a memorial service in the city, the palace said. Kristersson and Strömmer would also be there. Soccer teams Degerfors IF and Orebro Syrianska will wear black armbands at a preseason match on Wednesday evening and hold a minute’s silence before kickoff, Degerfors said.

The shooting started Tuesday afternoon after many students had gone home following a national exam. Students sheltered in nearby buildings, and other parts of the school were evacuated following the shooting.

Eid Forest, head of the local police, said the school’s large premises meant it took a long time for officers to search the campus to ensure there were not any more victims. Police heard gunshots when they arrived and initially thought they were being fired upon, he said.

Eid Forest said six officers were treated for smoke inhalation. There wasn’t a fire, he said, and authorities didn’t immediately know what caused the smoke.

Investigators will spend Wednesday seeking information from witnesses and checking any video of the attack. Police wouldn’t say whether the shooter had multiple guns.

There were no warnings beforehand, and police believe the perpetrator acted alone. Police haven’t said if the man was a student at the school. They haven’t released a possible motive, but authorities said there were no suspected connections to terrorism at this point.

Police raided the suspect’s home after Tuesday’s shooting, but it wasn’t immediately clear what they found. They cautioned the public against spreading incorrect narratives on social media.

“Today, we have witnessed brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people,” the prime minister told reporters in Stockholm late Tuesday. “This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history. Many questions remain unanswered, and I cannot provide those answers either.

“But the time will come when we will know what happened, how it could occur, and what motives may have been behind it. Let us not speculate,” he said.

While gun violence at schools is very rare in Sweden, people were wounded or killed with other weapons such as knives or axes in several incidents in recent years.

Gun ownership is legal in Sweden, but the country’s laws on firearms are strict, with “the right to possess weapons, even for protection purposes,” requiring a license granted only with explicit permission from the police force, which must be applied for in advance of any intended purchase.

Licensed gun owners must carry their documentation with them at all times when in possession of firearms, and the country’s laws cover not only guns but weapons that fire or deploy tear gas.