“It is hard to take in the full extent of what has happened today – the darkness that now lowers itself across Sweden tonight,” said Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at a news conference.
At least 11 people, including the gunman, were killed in a mass shooting at an adult education center in Sweden on Tuesday. The incident occurred at the Risbergska School for Adults in Orebro, about 125 miles west of Stockholm. The tragedy marks the deadliest mass shooting in the nation’s history.
“It is hard to take in the full extent of what has happened today – the darkness that now lowers itself across Sweden tonight,” said Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at a news conference.
Reuters reported that a 35-year-old male suspect, identified as Hellen Werme, opened fire inside the school after exiting a restroom, killing 10 people before turning the gun on himself after shooting at police. There were several other reported injuries. Four women and two men required hospitalization, with five of them needing surgery.
The ages and names of the victims have not yet been released. Authorities said they are using dental records and fingerprints to identify the deceased, per the BBC.
The Risbergska School for Adults serves as an educational institution for individuals who have not completed their formal education or who failed to achieve the required grades necessary for admission to higher education.
Authorities are working to determine the motive of the suspect, who was a nursing student, but said they do not suspect the shooting was a terrorist attack. “There is no information pointing to the culprit acting on ideological motives, police said.
Werme, who was described as “withdrawn” and “recluse,” is believed to have hidden the firearm in a “guitar-shaped” box and changed his clothing in a school bathroom before he started shooting at his peers, Reuters reported.
This incident is still under investigation.
