Copenhagen, Denmark –
A gunman opened fire in a Copenhagen shopping mall, one of the largest of its kind in Scandinavia, killing an unspecified number of people and wounding several more on Sunday, police said.
The suspected gunman, who is in custody, is a 22-year-old Dane who was arrested near the Fields shopping center on the southern outskirts of the capital, said police inspector Soren Thomassen, head of Copenhagen’s police operations unit.
“We know there are several dead” and “several wounded,” Thomassen told a news conference, adding that terror cannot be ruled out. “We have no information that others are involved. This is what we know now.”
He did not provide further details about the victims or suspects, nor did he say how many people were killed or injured. The mall is on the outskirts of Copenhagen, right across from a metro line that connects the city center with the international airport. A major highway also runs alongside the Fields, which opened in 2004.
Footage from the scene showed people running out of the shopping mall, with Denmark broadcaster TV2 publishing a photo of a man on a stretcher. Witnesses said people were crying and hiding in stores.
Laurits Hermansen told Danish broadcaster DR that she was in a clothing store in the mall with her family when she heard “three or four explosions. Really loud explosions. It sounded like the shots were going off right next to the store”.
Mayor of Copenhagen, Sophie H. Andersen tweeted: “Terrible reports of shooting in Campos. We still don’t know for sure how many were injured or killed, but it is very serious.”
Police said they were first alerted to the shooting at 5:36 pm (15:36 GMT; 11:36 am EDT). A large presence of heavily armed police officers arrived at the scene, with several fire department vehicles also parked outside the mall.
“One person has been arrested in connection with the Fields shooting. We are currently unable to say more about the person in question.” Copenhagen police tweeted. “We have a massive presence at Fields and are working to get the big picture.”
A concert by former One Direction band member Harry Styles was scheduled for 8 pm (1800 GMT; 2 pm EDT) at the nearby Royal Arena. It was not clear if the concert would take place.
On Snapchat, Styles wrote, “My team and I are praying for everyone involved in the Copenhagen mall shooting. I’m shocked. I love H.”
Shortly after the shooting, the royal palace said a reception with Crown Prince Frederik related to the Tour de France cycling race had been cancelled. The first three stages of the race were held in Denmark this year, the palace said in a statement. The reception was scheduled on the royal yacht moored in Soenderborg, the town where the third stage ended.
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Karl Ritter reported from Unterseen, Switzerland.