At a popular mall in Copenhagen on Sunday, a shooter killed three people and injured a number of others. Shoppers fled for their lives in fear.
After the shooting, a 22-year-old Danish man was detained, however police claimed they were unsure of his motivations. The police knew the shooter, who is thought to have operated alone, "although only peripherally."
After the nation's first mass shooting since February 2015, Copenhagen Police Chief Soren Thomassen commented, "He's not someone we really know."
According to Mr. Thomassen, mental health services were aware of the suspect. He said that there was nothing to suggest it was a terrorist act and that the victims looked to have been randomly chosen. "Our suspect is also well-known among psychiatric services," he said.
Shortly after police arrived at the sizable Fields shopping center, which is situated between the city's center and Copenhagen Airport, the young man, who was carrying a huge gun, was calmly taken into custody.
Three of the injured, including three who are in serious condition, are among the dead, according to Mr. Thomassen. A 40-year-old male and two young people whose ages were not given were the three fatalities.
Police stated that they were looking into online footage that purportedly showed the man brandishing firearms and pointing a gun at his head.
Images from the mall incident showed people being taken away on stretchers by ambulance staff and parents carrying their children as they exited the facility.
Around 5.30 p.m., a shooting took place, terrifying everyone in the mall. There were a lot of people there for the postponed Harry Styles concert at the neighboring Royal Arena. "I had planned to take my daughters to see Harry Styles. Someone was shooting, they told me over the phone. When it occurred, they were in a restaurant, according to Hans Christian Stolz, a 53-year-old Swede who arrived to pick up his kids.
His daughter Cassandra recalled, "We believed at first people were running because they had spotted Harry Styles, then we understood that it was people in terror... We ran for our lives."
Styles claimed that hearing about the attack had devastated him. Together with the citizens of Copenhagen, I'm inconsolable. This city is my favorite," the singer wrote on Twitter.
According to witnesses, the suspect tried to approach people by pretending that his weapon was a fake in order to deceive them into approaching. One witness told DR state television that the man "was sufficiently psychotic to go and hunt people, but he wasn't running."
Others who saw the shooter described him as a 1.8m tall man with a hunting rifle. A video of the arrest shows the suspect being taken into custody while dressed in a white jumpsuit to protect DNA evidence.
A string of gunshots connected to the Islamic State resulted in two fatalities and five injuries in Copenhagen in February 2015.
Danes shocked to the core
13 minutes after being informed of the attack, police detained the man close to the mall.
"I witnessed a dead man being brought out. It's incomprehensible, really; it's unbearable," Mr. Suldrup stated in reference to the attack's aftermath.
You hear about these things occurring in other nations, primarily the USA, but you just don't think it occurs here.
British singer Harry Styles was scheduled to play at a 17,000-capacity arena less than a mile from the mall; thousands had already gathered inside when the event was postponed.
Police took fans, many of whom were in their teens, to subterranean stations where their parents picked them up, according to Danish media.
Concertgoer Jan Muller praised the police's actions, telling the BBC that "they acted incredibly swiftly, organizing transport for everyone."
All morning, investigators have been coming in and going out while dozens of heavily armed officers have stood watch outside the Field's shopping center.
Police cars are parked along the street outside, and the steps leading to the main door are still marked off with tape.
On the outskirts of Copenhagen, there is a posh office area, although right now the area is peaceful.
This location would have been extremely busy on the weekends. At the time of the shooting, thousands of music enthusiasts were making their way to the Royal Arena performance hall to see Harry Styles perform. The mall is a popular destination for families and young people.
The events of Sunday are incredibly startling for this tiny Nordic nation, where gun violence is uncommon and mass shootings are practically unheard of.
Only a few days before, the Tour de France had begun in Copenhagen, setting off a festive atmosphere as fans packed the streets all around the city.
Despite the fact that it is believed the suspect acted alone, police are maintaining a noticeable presence all throughout the city.