Five people were shot at an adult education center in Sweden on Tuesday, police said. The conditions of the victims weren’t immediately clear.
The Swedish news agency TT reported, without providing its sources, that the perpetrator died by suicide. Police didn’t immediately confirm that reporting.
The adult education center is on the outskirts of the city of Orebro, which is located about 200 kilometers west of Stockholm.
The school, called Campus Risbergska, serves students who are over age 20, according to its website. Primary and upper secondary school courses are offered, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training and programs for people with intellectual disabilities.
Teacher Lena Warenmark told SVT News that there were unusually few students on the campus Tuesday afternoon because many went home after a national test. She also told the broadcaster that she heard probably 10 gunshots.
Video from the scene showed a large police presence and other emergency vehicles. Students were sheltering in nearby buildings. Other parts of the school were evacuated following the shooting, which began around 12:30 p.m.
Andreas Sundling, 28, was among those forced to barricade themselves inside the school.
“We heard three bangs and loud screams,” he told Expressen newspaper while sheltering in a classroom. “Now we’re sitting here waiting to be evacuated from the school. The information we have received is that we should sit and wait.”
It wasn’t immediately clear whether police were counting the perpetrator among the five shot. Police said that no officers were shot during the violence.
“The reports of violence in Orebro are very serious. The police are on site and the operation is in full swing,” Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told TT.
During a news conference on the Swedish employment market, another government official addressed the violence in Orebro, which has a population of around 155,000.
“The government is following developments very closely and has a continuous dialogue with the police about this,” Mats Persson, minister for employment and integration, said Tuesday.
