'Terror' as Swedish school shooting leaves several dead, including gunman, after he opens fire on campus
Students prayed under their desks as trapped teachers sent desperate texts to their loved ones when a gunman opened fire at a school in Sweden, in an attack that killed 10 people.
Armed police swooped and exchanged bullets with the suspect in the attack that saw students barricade themselves in classrooms in Risbergska School, an adult education centre in the city of Örebro some 125 miles west of Stockholm.
The gunman was injured after bursting into classrooms during the Swedish exam period, with police later confirming that about 10 people, including the gunman, had been killed.
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Andreas Sundling, 28, was one of the people forced to barricade themselves inside the school. Speaking to Expressen newspaper while sheltering in a classroom, he said: “We heard three bangs and loud screams. Now we’re sitting here waiting to be evacuated from the school. The information we have received is that we should sit and wait.”
One horrified parent told Swedish media his daughter saw blood at the scene as teachers helped students flee to safety. Pupils were being sheltered in nearby buildings as emergency services scoured the site.
Police told Expressen that there was an exchange of gunfire between police and the perpetrator. A series of loud bangs can be heard in footage shared on social media, claiming to be from the scene, as the person recording says “Oh my god”.
Teacher Lena Warenmark told SVT News that there were unusually few students on the campus on Tuesday afternoon because many went home after the exam.
She told the broadcaster that she heard probably 10 gunshots.
The school, called Campus Risbergska, serves students aged 20 and above, according to its website. Primary and upper secondary school courses are offered, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training and programmes for people with intellectual disabilities.
The violence broke out on Tuesday after many students had gone home following a national exam.
Johannes Sjöberg, whose daughter is a student at Risbergska, told Swedish broadcaster SVT she was in the school and saw blood.
“We have been in touch by text message the whole time,” he said. “She arrived at the school five minutes before the whole thing and has been very scared but feels calm and safe and has been praying to God the whole time.”
Another local who knows a teacher told news site Aftonbladet that he sent a text message as panic ensued inside.
