Sweden mourns deadliest shooting as gunman details emerge

Swedish police said they were still investigating the motive behind the country’s deadliest mass shooting, as local media began reporting details about the gunman.

The suspect, named in reports as 35-year-old local man Rickard Andersson, was reported to be a former student of the school in Orebo, a city 157 km (98 miles) west of Stockholm, where the attack took place on Tuesday.

Eleven people died in the shooting, including the attacker, with at least six others injured.

The attack has sent shockwaves through the nation, with King Carl XVI Gustaf on Wednesday saying: “All of Sweden is mourning.”

Authorities are still yet to release details about the dead and injured. Health officials said three women and two men were in a critical but stable condition, while another woman was treated for minor injuries.

Police declined to confirm media reports naming Andersson as the suspect. Orebro police said they had identified the suspect but would “not publish his name yet, due to the investigation”.

They have not said how he died but indicated on Wednesday he had most likely killed himself after an exchange of fire with police.

Police said they were still investigating why the gunman had chose to attack the Risbergska adult educational centre. Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported the suspect was previously enrolled at the school but had not attended classes since 2021.

Police on Tuesday said the suspect had no apparent links to gangs and did not appear to be motivated by ideology.

They also do not believe the attack was motivated by terrorism.

“We will get back on what motives there are,” local police chief Roberto Eid Forest told reporters on Wednesday.

The suspect had no previous convictions and obtained his weapon legally, local media reported.

Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT suggested it was a hunting weapon, while Swedish Radio said police had listed the weapon as an automatic firearm.

Local police chief Mr Forest also defended authorities’ delay in releasing accurate information about the number of dead and wounded. He said the size of the school premises had led to delays in ensuring there were not more victims.

Police said they were using fingerprints, dental records and DNA to identify victims – alongside interviews with family members.

In addition to providing Swedish language classes for immigrants, the Risbergska centre also provided adult education for people aged over 20 who did not finish primary or secondary school.

Earlier, Orebro residents attended a candlelit vigil outside the educational centre, which remains cordoned off. Flags around Orebro and at government buildings, parliament and royal palaces across the country were also lowered to half-mast.

King Carl XVI Gustaf, who visited the campus on Wednesday with Queen Silvia, told reporters: “All of Sweden feels it has experienced this traumatic event.”

“All Swedes are thinking of those people who lost their loved ones,” the King told the BBC. He said he was “sure the country would overcome the tragedy… one way or another, but it will take time”.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who also visited the site on Wednesday, described Tuesday’s attack as a dark day in Swedish history.

“Together, we must help the injured and their relatives bear the grief and weight of this day,” he said.

Additional reporting by Johanna Chisholm in London