Three People Dead Following Shooting Incident in Sweden

Swedish authorities have launched a murder investigation after a deadly shooting in the city of Uppsala, which resulted in the deaths of three individuals. Witnesses reported hearing five gunshots and saw people fleeing the area in panic to seek cover. The incident occurred in the city center, and police are treating it as a homicide, though they have not yet confirmed whether it is linked to terrorism or a hate crime.

A police spokesperson revealed that someone was seen leaving the scene on an electric scooter, though it remains unclear whether the individual was a suspect, witness, or otherwise involved. Electric scooters have previously been used as a means of escape in other gang-related shootings in the country.

Uppsala, located about 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Stockholm, has experienced several gang-related shootings over the past decade, though these incidents have generally occurred outside the city center.

Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer condemned the violence, stating, “A brutal act of violence has occurred in central Uppsala… this is at the same time as the whole of Uppsala has begun Walpurgis Night. What has happened is extremely serious.” The shooting took place on the eve of the Walpurgis spring festival, a major event in the city.

Reports suggest that the attack took place near or inside a hairdresser’s shop. This tragic incident follows another mass shooting in February, when 10 people were killed in Orebro, marking the deadliest shooting in Sweden’s history, when a 35-year-old gunman opened fire at an adult learning center.