Topline
Several people were killed Sunday in a shooting at a shopping mall in Copenhagen, Denmark, according to police—and authorities have arrested a 22-year-old suspect.
An ambulance and armed police are seen during the evacuation of people at the Fields shopping center ... [+]
Key Facts
Copenhagen Police Inspector Soren Thomassen said during a press conference several people had died and several others were injured at the Field’s shopping mall in southern Copenhagen, according to translations by the Associated Press and Reuters.
Copenhagen Police said in a statement officers responded to the reported shooting at around 5:36 p.m. local time.
Officers took a 22-year-old Danish man into custody shortly after arriving on the scene, and Thomassen said police don’t believe there was more than one shooter.
Copenhagen Mayor Sophie H. Andersen said in a tweet it is unclear how many people were injured or killed, and called the shooting—a rarity in Denmark—very serious.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
What We Don’t Know
Thomassen said authorities have not determined a motive for the shooting, but he said terrorism has not been ruled out.
Key Background
Mass shootings in the Scandinavian region are rare, though a shooting broke out near a LGBTQ+ bar in Oslo, Norway, last week that left two dead and 21 others injured. The shooting is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack. Denmark’s last mass shooting was in 2015. when a gunman killed two people and injured six police officers.
Crucial Quote
Witness Laurits Hermansen told Danish broadcaster DR he was with his family in a store in the Field’s mall when he heard “three or four bangs,” according to an Associated Press translation. “It sounded like the shots were being fired just next to the store.”
Tangent
Singer Harry Styles was scheduled to perform less than a mile from the mall, but the concert was canceled minutes before it was set to begin due to the fatal shooting, according to the Independent. A Tour de France reception hosted by Danish Crown Prince Frederik in southern Denmark was also canceled. Denmark hosted three portions of the biking event, which began on Friday.