Brennen Brothers, news editor

On Feb. 4, a shooting took place in central Sweden at an adult education center, leaving 11 dead including the suspect. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described the attack as the “worst mass shooting in Swedish history,” reported the BBC. They continue, stating police received reports of a shooting taking place at the education center, Risbergska school in Orebo, Sweden at 12:33 p.m. local time. 

Al Jazeera elaborated that Risbergska is a school for people over 20-years-old who were unable to complete formal education or did not receive the required grades for higher education. The school holds around 2,000 students. 

Police say that the primary suspect was a man and was dead when he was found. Orebro Police Chief Roberto Eid Forest said in a news conference that there is indication the suspect turned the gun on himself. Motive for the shooting is still under investigation, but there is belief that he acted alone. A Swedish public service television company, Sveriges Television, broadcasted that the man lived in Orebro and owned a hunting licence while no sources were cited from the broadcast, stated Al Jazeera.

Hospitals nearby cleared emergency rooms and intensive care units to free space for victims. The Orebo University Hospital said that five people were injured and treated. Witness and student of the school, Marwa, told TV4 Sweden, “A guy next to me was shot in the shoulder. He was bleeding a lot. When I looked behind me I saw three people on the floor bleeding,” reported the BBC.

In a quote to Reuters, Maria Pegado, a teacher from the school, said, “I took all my 15 students out into the hallway and we started running. Then I heard two shots but we made it out. We were close to the school entrance. I saw people dragging injured out, first one, then another. I realised it was very serious.”

Malin Hilmberg told The Associated Press, “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 destroyed. It’s hard to find words.” In an interview with the Echo, Augsburg professor Stowe Kintzinger said, “Compared to other European nations, Sweden has a fairly high level of firearm ownership, yet, firearm related offenses have seldom occurred outside of gang-related crime. This has, in turn, led many Swedes to view gun crime as a cultural feature that happens elsewhere, but previously unthinkable in Sweden. In this respect, it wasn’t merely the magnitude of the tragedy that shocked Sweden, but the fact it could happen there at all.”

Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf said in a quote to Al Jazeera, “Tonight we send our condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. Our thoughts at this time are also with the injured and their families, as well as others affected.”