World

Witnesses describe chaos and bloodshed in Sweden’s worst mass shooting

At least 10 people were killed and at least five seriously wounded in the attack at an adult education centre west of Stockholm.

People gather at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden (Sergei Grits/AP)
People gather at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden (Sergei Grits/AP) (Sergei Grits/AP)

Witnesses of Sweden’s worst mass shooting described horror and panic that gripped an adult education centre west of Stockholm as the gunman killed at least 10 people.

The gunman also died in the shooting on Tuesday, although it is not yet clear how.

Here are witness accounts of the attack that also seriously wounded at least five people and horrified the Scandinavian nation where gun violence in schools is very rare.

A person lights a candle at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden (Sergei Grits/AP)
A person lights a candle at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden (Sergei Grits/AP) (Sergei Grits/AP)

Hellen Werme, 35, thought of her two children, ages two and three, as she heard the gunman pacing outside the classroom where she and five other people hid.

“Those were the worst hours of my life. I did not know if I would get shot there and then, or in ten minutes. You simply waited,” the newspaper Expressen quoted her as saying.

The report said Ms Werme, three classmates and two teachers were about to start a lesson on how to install catheters on patients when they heard the first shots on Tuesday at the Campus Risbergska adult training school in Orebro, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Stockholm.

“We thought it was a door slamming. Like, ‘oh, sounds like someone is angry,’” Ms Werme was quoted as saying.

“Then my teacher shouted, ‘Lock the doors and get down on the floor.’”

They crawled behind some hospital beds and lay there, making no noise.

People light candles at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden (Sergei Grits/AP)
People light candles at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden (Sergei Grits/AP) (Sergei Grits/AP)

Mirna Essa, who studies Swedish at the school, told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper: “We hear a woman saying, ‘No, no, no,’ three times.

“After that we heard someone shooting,” it quoted her as saying. ““I did not know what was happening, I simply ran. It was chaos within a few seconds. It was like a movie. All you can think of is, ‘Why?’”

Ms Essa was among adult students at the school, which offers Swedish-language classes for immigrants and vocational training for people with intellectual disabilities.

“I don’t want to go back. Not now,” she told the newspaper as she returned on Wednesday to light a candle for the victims.

“All I can think of are those who died, I cannot think of anything else.”

Broadcaster TV4 interviewed a student who said she performed first aid on a man who was shot in the shoulder.

Emergency services work at the scene of shooting at Campus Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden (Pontus Lundahl/TT News Agency via AP)
Emergency services work at the scene of shooting at Campus Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden (Pontus Lundahl/TT News Agency via AP) (Pontus Lundahl/AP)

TV4 identified her only by her first name, Marwa.

“He was bleeding a lot. When I looked behind me I saw three people on the floor bleeding. Everyone was shocked. They said, ‘Go out! Get out!’” she said.

“Me and my friend tried to save the life of this person. People were very shocked. The police were not on site and neither was the ambulance.

“So we had to help. I took my friend’s shawl and tied it tightly around his shoulder so that he wouldn’t bleed so much.”

Teacher Mattias Jansson said that the training he has received for dealing with emergencies kicked in when he heard shouts for people for evacuate.

“When we made it to the emergency exit we heard the bangs,” he told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.

“These are things that we have been taught, gathering and evacuating, try to get as many people out as possible.”