What We Know About the Mass Shooting in Sweden

Last updated: February 5, 2025 3:56 pm

3 Min Read

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Europe | What We Know About the Mass Shooting in Sweden

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Swedish news outlets identified the shooter as Rickard Andersson, a 35-year-old from Orebro, the city where the shooting occurred, although the police have not publicly confirmed that.

Police officers on Wednesday near the scene of the shooting in Orebro, Sweden. Credit… Jonas Gratzer/Getty Images By Christina Anderson and Lynsey Chutel

Christina Anderson reported from Orebro, Sweden, and Lynsey Chutel from London.

Published Feb. 5, 2025 Updated Feb. 6, 2025, 7:23 a.m. ET

The Swedish authorities said on Thursday that they were still seeking to determine why a man entered an adult education school this week and carried out an attack that the government called the worst mass shooting in the country’s history.

Swedish news outlets identified the shooter as Rickard Andersson, a 35-year-old who lived in Orebro, the city where the shooting occurred. The New York Times has not yet been able to independently confirm the shooter’s identity.

The police said that at least 11 people were found dead at the school, where many migrants enroll for Swedish language and other classes. The suspect is believed to be among the dead, the police said.

Here’s a look at what we know.

What happened? Gunfire erupted at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Risbergska educational center, which offers classes to about 2,000 adults. Cellphone footage broadcast on local television showed students cowering under desks and chairs.

The authorities responded with a “major operation,” sending police cars and armed officers swarming onto the campus. Nearby schools were briefly put on lockdown.

The police charged into the school minutes after its alarm rang, Lars Wirén, the city’s police commander, said during a news conference on Thursday. They encountered a chaotic scene, with smoke from pyrotechnics filling the building, and a gunman firing so many rounds that officers could not tell how many shooters were on the scene, he added.

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