A Gunman Kills Three People In Copenhagen’s Fields Shopping Mall

A 22-year-old Danish man was arrested in connection with the shooting and is the only suspect at this time

Danish police said on Monday that a man arrested on suspicion of killing three people and injuring several others during a shooting at a shopping mall in Copenhagen was known to psychiatric professionals.

The shooting took place on Sunday at various locations inside Field’s, a shopping center in Copenhagen. 

People running through the mall were seen on social media, as were heavily armed law enforcement officers.

Copenhagen’s Chief of Police, Soren Thomassen, stated at a press conference on Monday morning that the gunfire killed a 17-year-old Danish woman, a 17-year-old Danish man, and a 47-year-old Russian national.

Two other Danes and two Swedish nationals were shot and were in critical but stable condition in the hospital, while several others were injured while leaving the mall, according to Thomassen.

“There is no indication the suspect was acting with others, but there is still a massive investigation ongoing to make sure this is the case,” According to Thomassen,

Earlier, police stated that they apprehended the suspect 13 minutes after receiving the first 911 call and that he was “carrying a rifle and ammunition” at the moment of his arrest.

During a press conference on Monday, Thomassen stated that there is no evidence that the attack was an “act of terror” or motivated by gender, and that the victims were chosen at random. He claimed the suspect was “known to people in the psychiatric field.”

According to Thomassen, the suspect will be charged with manslaughter.

“Run, run, run, they’re still shooting in there.”

A former Danish politician and an athlete who witnessed the incident told CNN that he was on his way to a gym inside the field when he noticed large groups of people exiting the mall.

“I’m sorry to say, it looked like something out of a school shooting in the United States, with people coming out with their hands above their heads,” Olsen said.

“You have people running out, looking for friends, calling friends and family members who were inside, and some speaking to friends who were inside,” he said.

“Old people with their arms around the necks of people carrying them out, their feet just being dragged across the floor.”

Olsen spoke to a man who spoke to an off-duty paramedic whose arms were “covered in blood up to his elbows” outside the mall.

“He wanted to go back in,” Olsen said, “but the cops wouldn’t let him.” According to Olsen, security attempted to move the crowds away from the mall.

“We were rushed away at one point.” “‘Run, run, run, they’re still shooting in there,’ said the cops.”

According to a spokesman for Rigshospitalet, Denmark’s largest hospital, the hospital has taken in several victims and has called in additional staff to deal with the emergency.

A hotline for victims has been established, and police have stated that they have established a central location where eyewitnesses can seek assistance and report their experiences to law enforcement officials.

Danish police said on Sunday that they had evacuated thousands of people from the Royal Arena venue near the mall.

The arena was supposed to host a Harry Styles concert, but that was canceled after the shooting.

In a statement issued late Sunday night, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed sympathy to the injured, their families, and the bereaved, as well as “all Danes who were close to these frightening events.”

“Thinking of everyone in #Copenhagen tonight after horrific reports of several people killed in a shopping mall shooting,” she tweeted. We are with you in Denmark. “

Gun violence is uncommon in Denmark. The city of Copenhagen’s most recent major shooting occurred in 2015, when a gunman opened fire on a free speech forum featuring controversial cartoonist Lars Vilks, killing one man and injuring three others.

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