Rare mass shooting in Sweden leaves at least 10 dead, including gunman

FILE - Members of the emergengy services work at the scene of the Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden, on Feb. 4, 2025, following reports of a serious violent crime. (Photo by KICKI NILSSON/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images)
About 10 people, including the gunman, were killed after a shooting at an adult education center in Sweden on Tuesday, police said.
The damage at the crime scene was so extensive that investigators were unable to give out a definitive death toll, Roberto Eid Forest, head of the local police, said.
What happened?
What we know:
The shooting took place at Campus Risbergska, which serves students who are over 20 years old, according to its website.
The school offers primary and upper secondary school courses, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training, and programs for people with intellectual disabilities.
The shooting erupted after many students had gone home following a national exam.
What they're saying:
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will hold a news conference at 7:30 p.m. local time (1830 GMT) alongside Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer,
"Today, we have witnessed brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people," Kristersson told reporters in Stockholm. "This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history. Many questions remain unanswered, and I cannot provide those answers either.
"But the time will come when we will know what happened, how it could occur, and what motives may have been behind it. Let us not speculate," he said.
"What happened today in Örebro is truly horrifying," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on social media. "Such violence and terror have no place in our societies — least of all in schools. In this dark hour, we stand with the people of Sweden."
What we don't know:
The final death toll could go up, according to investigators. And it is unknown how many people were injured.
Though investigators were able to rule out any suspected connections to terrorism, they are still trying to find the motive.
A rare crime
Gun violence at schools, and in the general public, is very rare in Sweden. But there have been several incidents in recent years in which people were wounded or killed with other weapons such as knives or axes.
In 2022, a total of 60 people in Sweden were victims of gun violence, which was considered a record in modern times, according to a Reuters report.
Compare that to the United States where in 2022 alone, more than 48,000 people died of gun-related incidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That figure included gun murders and gun suicides, in addition to accidental shootings and incidents that involved law enforcement.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from The Associated Press, reporting by Reuters and data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This story was reported from Los Angeles.