Sweden gunman, who killed 11 in school shooting, was an unemployed ex-student: 5 key points

Authorities rapidly responded to the situation, with constabulary and exigency services arriving astatine the country wrong minutes. However, contempt their efforts, the standard of the calamity was unprecedented for Sweden, a state typically known for its debased levels of weapon violence.

Local media person identified the shooter arsenic a erstwhile pupil of the big acquisition centre helium attacked. As investigators proceed moving to place the victims, constabulary main Roberto Eid Forest confirmed that determination is beardown grounds suggesting the gunman, who was recovered dormant astatine the scene, took his ain life.

This onslaught occurred conscionable aft 12:30 p.m. connected Tuesday astatine Campus Risbergska.

Here’s what is known astir the suspected gunman truthful far.

📌 Identity and background

While constabulary person not officially named the attacker, Sweden’s nationalist broadcaster SVT has identified him arsenic Rickard Andersson, a 35-year-old unemployed recluse. Local media picture him arsenic a loner who lived successful Orebro and legally owned a firearm.

A erstwhile student, Andersson had besides attended immoderate maths classes astatine Risbergska immoderate years ago, and had been unemployed for a decade.

A comparative told the Aftonbladet paper that Andersson had small interaction with household successful caller years. “As a child, helium was antithetic but lively. He did good astatine school. But caller years were pugnacious for him.” Another household subordinate suggested helium whitethorn person had intelligence wellness issues, saying, “He wants to beryllium connected his own. He doesn’t look to similar radical much.”

Emergency services enactment astatine the country of shooting astatine Campus Risbergska School, successful Örebro, astir 200 kilometers (125 miles) westbound of Stockholm, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (Pontus Lundahl/TT News Agency via AP)

Authorities confirmed that Andersson had nary anterior transgression grounds and had declared nary income successful caller years. He reportedly changed his surname 8 years ago, though it is unclear why.

Hours aft the attack, heavy equipped officers raided a level successful Orebro registered to him, utilizing drones and a ladder truck, according to Swedish Radio.

📌Motive

Police accidental Andersson had nary known links to transgression gangs, nary ideological motives, and nary evident ties to violent groups. The nonstop crushed for the onslaught remains unknown, but investigators person suggested helium whitethorn person had a idiosyncratic nexus to the school.

Local constabulary main Roberto Eid Forest stated, “It’s a changing situation. The accusation we gave earlier is inactive valid, but whitethorn alteration later.”

“We inactive judge that it is simply a one-man operation. We volition instrumentality to the nonstop motives,” said Eid Forest.

A Swedish emblem flies astatine half-mast extracurricular the constabulary presumption successful Örebro successful Sweden, Wednesday Feb. 5, 2025, aft a shooting astatine an big acquisition halfway connected Tuesday. (Anders Wiklund/TT via AP)

📌Weapons used

Swedish Radio reports that an automatic firearm was utilized successful the attack. SVT suggests it was a hunting limb legally owned by Andersson. Police found:

📌Three rifles adjacent his body
📌10 bare slug magazines
📌 A ample magnitude of unused ammunition

Authorities besides discovered that fume astatine the country was caused by immoderate benignant of pyrotechnics, not fire. Several constabulary officers had to question aesculapian attraction owed to inhaling the fumes.

📌How the onslaught unfolded

At 12:33 section clip connected Tuesday, constabulary received reports of a shooting astatine Campus Risbergska, a schoolhouse for big education. Teachers and students barricaded themselves successful classrooms oregon fled the gathering arsenic shots rang out.

Hellen Werme, a 35-year-old nursing student, described the terrifying moment, “We heard 3 shots, 1 aft another, and panicked. My teacher shouted: ‘Shut the doors, fastener them, and hide.'”

Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia spot flowers astatine a memorial adjacent the country of a shooting connected the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

The gunman reportedly paced up and down the corridors, searching for victims. Survivors aboriginal described pools of humor wherever radical had been shot.

Police arrived wrong 5 minutes of the alarm being raised and were fired upon by the suspect, but nary were injured. About 1 hr later, the attacker was recovered dead. Authorities judge helium took his ain life.

📌Victims and aftermath

📌11 radical were killed, including the gunman.
📌At slightest six radical were wounded, with 5 requiring country for gunshot wounds. Two stay successful intensive care.
📌Many of the victims person yet to beryllium identified, with authorities utilizing DNA, fingerprints, and dental records to corroborate identities.

The Risbergska schoolhouse chiefly serves immigrants learning Swedish and adults completing their education. Two young residents interviewed by the BBC expressed fears that the onslaught whitethorn person had a radical element, fixed the pupil demographics.

Police confirmed that radical of antithetic nationalities, genders, and ages were killed. The Syrian embassy successful Stockholm confirmed that immoderate of its citizens were among the deceased, expressing heavy sorrow and extending condolences to the victims’ families.

However, constabulary person yet to corroborate the names of the deceased, arsenic the recognition process is ongoing.

The section municipality has acceptable up situation enactment astatine Haga Church, portion the Orebro Mosque has besides opened its doors to assistance affected assemblage members.