Eyewitnesses recount turmoil and violence during Sweden’s deadliest mass shooting

A chaotic scene unfolded as shots rang out, with individuals urgently seeking refuge, clutching at anything to shield themselves from the shooter and the ensuing violence. One mother, filled with dread for her young children, feared for their safety, while another individual rushed to help a wounded man by using a friend’s shawl to stop his bleeding after he was shot in the shoulder.

Witnesses recounted the terrifying experience at an adult education facility located west of Stockholm, where a gunman claimed the lives of at least ten people before also dying, though the circumstances of his death remain unclear. This incident, marking Sweden’s deadliest mass shooting, left at least five others severely injured and has deeply shocked a nation where gun-related violence in schools is uncommon.

Describing her ordeal, Hellen Werme, a 35-year-old healthcare student, reflected on her overwhelming fear for her two small children, aged two and three, as she concealed herself with five others in their classroom. “Those were the worst hours of my life. I did not know if I would get shot then or minutes later. You just had to wait,” she recounted. As her group prepared for a class in catheter installation at the Campus Risbergska adult training school in Orebro, located around 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Stockholm, the first gunshots shattered their sense of normalcy.

Initially, they mistook the noise for a slamming door, with Werme recalling her thoughts of someone being upset. The situation escalated when a teacher commanded everyone to secure the doors and drop to the floor. They huddled behind hospital beds, remaining silent as panic spread.

Mirna Essa, a fellow student, shared a haunting moment she experienced during the attack with local media. “We heard a woman pleading ‘No, no, no’ three times before the gunfire erupted,” she described. Overwhelmed by chaos, she ran for safety. Essa, who was studying Swedish at the institution, expressed her reluctance to return to school after the traumatic event. “All I can think about are those who died; it’s all-consuming,” she stated, as she lit a candle for the victims later on.

Andreas Sundling, another student, recalled how the initial loud noises led him to believe there was a commotion outside. But as screams filled the air, he and his classmates took action, locking their classroom door and pushing furniture against it for barricade. They hid under tables as the gunfire continued. Following what felt like an eternity, police finally arrived and forcibly opened the door. “Inside the school, there was blood everywhere on the floor. It was madness,” Sundling said.

One student, identified only as Marwa during a television interview, recounted how she attempted to provide aid to a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. “He was losing a lot of blood. When I looked around, I saw three people on the ground, all bleeding. It was total shock. We were told to get out,” she explained. Confronted with the absence of law enforcement or an ambulance, she and a friend did their best to help, using a shawl to apply pressure to the injured man’s shoulder.

Another teacher, Mattias Jansson, described how his emergency training became pivotal during the crisis. Alerted to evacuate, he moved quickly with his students to an emergency exit, hearing more gunshots in the process. “We’ve been taught to gather and evacuate, trying to get as many people out as possible,” he remarked, illustrating the dire circumstances of the day.