Multiple victims in Copenhagen mall shooting

Mass shooting in shopping mall leaves three people dead, many wounded including three seriously, Denmark officials say.

Suspect arrested over mall shooting charged for manslaughter, Danish police say.
AFP

Suspect arrested over mall shooting charged for manslaughter, Danish police say.

A gunman opened fire in a Copenhagen shopping mall, one of the largest of its kind in Scandinavia, killing three people and wounding several others, three of them critically, police have said.

The suspected gunman, who is in custody, is a 22-year-old Danish man who was detained near the Fields shopping mall on the southern outskirts of the capital, said police inspector Soren Thomassen, head of the Copenhagen police operations unit, on Sunday.

Thomassen said the three victims were a man in his 40s and "two young people."

The suspect was known to the police "but only peripherally," Copenhagen police chief said. Thomassen said that terror can't be ruled out, adding, "we do not have information that others are involved. This is what we know now."

He didn't provide any further details on the victims or suspect, but said the suspect arrested is the mall shooter and has been charged for manslaughter. 

The shopping centre is on the outskirts of Copenhagen just across from a subway line that connects the city centre with the international airport. A major highway also runs adjacent to Fields, which opened in 2004.

Images from the scene showed people running out of the mall, and Denmark’s TV2 broadcaster posted a photo of a man being put on a stretcher. Witnesses said people were crying and hid in shops.

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'Loud bangs'

Laurits Hermansen told Danish broadcaster DR that he was in a clothing store at the shopping centre with his family when he heard “three-four bangs. Really loud bangs. It sounded like the shots were being fired just next to the store.”

Copenhagen Mayor Sophie H. Andersen tweeted: “Terrible reports of shooting in Fields. We do not yet know for sure how many were injured or dead, but it is very serious.”

Police said they were first alerted to the shooting at 5:36 pm (1536GMT). A huge presence of heavily-armed police officers arrived at the scene, with several fire department vehicles also parked outside the mall.

“One person has been arrested in connection with the shooting at Fields. We currently are not able to say more about the person concerned," Copenhagen police tweeted. “We have a massive presence at Fields and are working on getting an overview.”

Shortly after the shooting, the royal palace said a reception with Crown Prince Frederik connected to the Tour de France cycling race had been cancelled. 

The first three stages of the race were held in Denmark this year, the palace said in a statement. The reception was due to be held on the royal yacht that is moored in Soenderborg, the town where the third stage ended.

READ MORE: US accounted for 73 percent of global mass shootings

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