Three people were killed in a shooting at a shopping center in Copenhagen on Sunday. The Danish police say that there are also several injured, three of whom are in critical condition.
The 22-year-old suspect, who was arrested without violence after the shooting, is known to police “but only peripherally”, Copenhagen Police Chief Inspector Søren Thomassen told a conference press during the evening.
This shooting comes two days after the passage of the Tour de France in the Danish capital. It occurred around 5:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. GMT), causing panic. Many visitors were there before a concert by British star Harry Styles in a nearby large hall, which was canceled in the evening.
The suspect’s motives remain unclear but “we cannot rule out an act of terrorism”, said the police, according to whom there is no indication at this stage that other people participated in the killing. The last attack in Copenhagen dates back to February 14 and 15, 2015, when a series of Islamist-motivated shootings left two dead and five injured.
According to witnesses interviewed by Danish media, the suspect tried to entrap victims, saying for example that his weapon was fake to entice them to get closer. “He was psychopathic enough to go stalk people, but he didn’t run,” said a witness interviewed by public television DR.
A major system deployed on site
After gunshots reported by witnesses, significant police reinforcements were dispatched to the outskirts of this vast shopping mall. Footage from the scene showed paramedics carrying an injured person on a stretcher and mothers consoling their children in their arms. A crisis cell was triggered.
When the first shots were heard, more than a hundred people rushed outside the shopping mall, according to witnesses quoted by Danish media.
The Tour expresses “its compassion” to the Danish people
The Tour de France, followed by several teams and riders, expressed Sunday “its compassion” to “all the Danish people”, which occurred 48 hours after the opening time trial of its 2022 edition, which was held in the capital of Denmark. “The Tour is particularly shocked and saddened by the tragedy that has just struck Copenhagen,” said the organizing company (ASO) at the start of the evening. “Its inhabitants had given the runners one of the most fantastic welcomes in history, forging deep bonds with all the followers. The entire Tour caravan offers its most sincere condolences to the victims and their families,” added ASO.
No motive identified at this stage
Authorities have called on people potentially in the building to wait inside for help to arrive, and on all others to stay away from the area. At around 7:30 p.m., the roads around the mall were blocked with a large security perimeter, subway traffic was cut off and a helicopter hovered over the area. Heavily armed police also prevented residents from returning to their homes.