The injured student at the Trangsundskolan school was initially “conscious and able to speak”, police said as they opened an investigation into “suspected attempted murder”. The school’s principal, Kaju Majuri, said he was aware of a conflict between the two students a few years ago, but it appeared to have been resolved.
According to the police, the shooting took place in a “closed space” and “initial information” indicates that there were no other people around. Aftonbladet newspaper reported that the shooting took place in a school toilet.
About 700 students attend Trangsundskolan school. The school has classes from the first to the ninth, the children’s age is from 7 to 15 years. Shocked students told Swedish media that they had been told to stay in their classrooms until the all-clear after the incident.
Both students involved in the incident were in grades seven through nine, Majuri told reporters, meaning they were between 13 and 15 years old. According to the director, there were no previous indications that the suspect had violent intentions.
The municipality of Hudinge initially reported that an air rifle was used, but later removed this information from its website.
In recent years, Sweden has struggled to curb rising gang violence, with shootings and bombings now occurring weekly across the Scandinavian country, with young attackers also involved. However, Mr Majuri said he was not aware of any link to gang violence. “Today there was a conflict between two schoolchildren, which escalated very seriously,” he said during the press conference.
2024-09-04 22:35:33