Police hunt perpetrators after three shot dead in central Uppsala
Police are searching for one or more perpetrators after three people were shot dead at Vaksala Square in central Uppsala on Tuesday evening.
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The attack took place shortly after 5pm at the square, just a few blocks from Uppsala Central Station. Witnesses said the shooter arrived on an electric scooter and opened fire at the entrance to a hair salon.
At 7.25pm, Uppsala police confirmed in a written statement that three people had died and that a murder investigation had been launched.
"This is a very serious incident," police spokesperson Magnus Jansson Klarin told Aftonbladet. "Three people have been confirmed dead. We are searching for one or more perpetrators."
The identities of the victims had not yet been confirmed at 8pm and their families had not been notified.
Police cordoned off a wide area around the square and temporarily halted both road and rail traffic. Train services and traffic have since resumed. A police helicopter has been deployed to assist in the search.
The attack occurred the day before Valborg, the largest student celebration of the year in Uppsala.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said that his ministry was in close contact with the police.
"A brutal act of violence has occurred in central Uppsala," he said. "This at the same time as the whole of Uppsala has begun the Valborg weekend. What has happened is extraordinarily serious."
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One witness told Upsala Nya Tidning they heard nine shots. Another told Aftonbladet they heard five or six.
"I saw him come around a corner and then it all started going off," one eyewitness told Aftonbladet. "I ran straight to the concert hall for cover. You just panic. When I came back, it was total chaos."
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