Multiple dead in suspected shooting in Sweden’s Uppsala
Police officers cordon off the scene after several people were killed in a shooting at Vaksala Square in central Uppsala, Sweden on April 29, 2025. (AFP Photo)
A suspected shooting killed at least three people in Uppsala, Sweden’s fourth-largest city, on Tuesday, prompting a large-scale police response in the city center, according to local media reports.
“Three people are confirmed deceased following a shooting,” police said in a statement, adding they had opened a murder investigation.
Police confirmed the fatalities and said the attack was carried out by a masked gunman, who reportedly fled the scene on an electric scooter. Authorities have not released the victims’ identities and have not ruled out gang involvement, though they stressed the investigation is ongoing.
The incident occurred near Vaksala Square in the city center, according to police, who said they received multiple emergency calls from the public reporting loud bangs believed to be gunfire.
“Several people were found with injuries consistent with gunshot wounds,” police said in a statement. The victims have not yet been identified, and the exact number of fatalities remains unclear.
Police spokesperson Magnus Klarin said officers received multiple emergency calls, with witnesses reporting loud bangs and people fleeing in panic, Sweden’s SVT broadcaster reported.
Mass shooting suspected ahead of Walpurgis spring festival
The shooting occurred just hours before Uppsala welcomes more than 100,000 visitors for Valborg, a major celebration marking the arrival of spring. Police sealed off the area and deployed drones overhead but sought to calm public anxiety.
“People should not be afraid to come tomorrow,” police spokesperson Magnus Jansson Klarin said, adding that security would be tightened.
“This is extremely serious,” said Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer, as Sweden grapples with a growing number of shootings and bombings tied to organized crime.
Meawhile, train services to and from Uppsala were suspended temporarily, said the transport authority.
Rising violence despite slight decline
Tuesday’s attack comes as Sweden continues to recover from its deadliest mass shooting in February, when 10 people were killed in Örebro by 35-year-old Rickard Andersson before he took his own life.
Despite such high-profile cases, official data show a recent drop in violence. In 2024, 92 cases of deadly violence were recorded—29 fewer than in 2023 and the lowest since 2014. The country also reported 296 shootings last year, down 20% from the year prior, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå).
Still, much of the violence remains gang-related, often involving minors under the age of criminal responsibility. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s centre-right government, which came to power in 2022 with support from the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, has pledged to clamp down on crime.
