Three people were killed and at least three others were seriously injured in a shooting in Copenhagen on Sunday that prompted panicked shoppers to flee for safety in Denmark’s largest shopping mall, authorities said.
Soren Thomassen, a Copenhagen police inspector, said early Monday morning local time that among the dead were a man in his forties and two young men. He did not say how many were injured, but said three were in critical condition.
He said police had detained 22-year-old Dane in connection with the shooting, which took place around 6 p.m. local time. The authorities did not reveal any information about a possible motive, but believed that the man was acting alone.
“We are convinced that the man we arrested is the culprit,” said Mr. Thomasen. He had a rifle and he had ammunition for that rifle.
Gun violence in Denmark is relatively rare, at least compared to the United States, where shootings in public are becoming common. According to the gun violence data repository maintained by the University of Sydney, Denmark has just over One death by a gun for every 100,000 people annually, while the United States has just over 12.
The shooting took place on Sunday in Field Shopping CenterDescribed as nine minutes from central Copenhagen via the metro, it hosts more than 140 stores including Danish and international fashion brands.
mall employee Tell a local news outlet That the “crowds” fled to seek refuge at Kentucky Fried Chicken in Fields. The employee said the employees closed the doors and stayed there for 45 minutes.
A witness, Mahdi Wazni, told Channel 2 News that he had seen the gunman.
“He looked violent and angry and was screaming as he ran,” he said, adding that he saw the gunman smash windows of the mall.
Other witnesses described scenes of panic and employees helping shoppers escape through the back rooms of stores. One woman told TV 2 that she and her family stopped in a store to get snacks for her one-year-old daughter when the family heard a loud bang.
Ricky Olsen said her husband initially thought the noise was someone setting off fireworks or throwing fireworks. The noise followed a dash of mall-goers running toward the family.
Mrs. Olsen turned and saw a man with what appeared to be a rifle he was carrying, she said.
“I turn and run as fast as I can hold my 3-year-old’s hand,” she said. “I just drag it with me, and then I lose my grip, and people trample on it, because they’re running.”
I picked him up and kept running.
In a statement issued late Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged Danes to unite in the wake of the “brutal attack”.
“Several people were killed,” she said. “More have been injured. Innocent families are out shopping or eating. Children, young adults and adults.”
“We’ve all been brutally torn apart by the bright summer we’ve just begun,” she continued. “It’s incomprehensible. Heartbreaking. No sense. Our beautiful and very safe capital was changed in a split second.”
At the time of the shooting, Harry Styles fans had gathered nearby at the city’s Royal Arena waiting for the former One Direction singer to perform. At about 8pm, the crowd of 17,000 was told the concert would be postponed, but after 90 minutes the show was said to have been canceled due to “safety concerns”. BBC mentioned.
“I am sad with the people of Copenhagen,” Mr. Styles He said on Twitter. “I adore this city. The people are so warm and full of love. I am heartbroken for the victims and their families and everyone is in pain. I am sorry we couldn’t be together. Please take care of each other.”
Kristen Chong Contribute to the preparation of reports.