Denmark: Three killed, several injured in Copenhagen mall shooting; one accused arrested

A gun attack at a busy shopping mall in the Danish capital has claimed the lives of at least three people and injured several others of which three of them are critically wounded, police informed. On Sunday, a shooter opened fire on crowds inside the Field’s mall in south Copenhagen. In relation to the horrific attack that caused alarm among consumers at Field's mall, a 22-year-old man has been apprehended and charged, BBC reported. According to Copenhagen police inspector Søren Thomassen, no more suspects had been identified, but police have still been looking.   

Further, police chief Thomassen highlighted that the motive behind the act is still not clear and he could not rule out an "act of terrorism".  

The shooting, which occurred in the late afternoon at Field's, one of the largest shopping centres in Scandinavia, forced some individuals to flee in a frantic rush while others hid in stores as the rounds were fired, according to eyewitnesses. 

(credit: AP)

Mall shooting in Denmark

Without providing any information, Thomassen stated that the casualties comprised a person in his 40s and two "young people." Three of the victims, he claimed, were critically hurt, Associated Press reported.  

In addition to this, the police chief noted that at 5.37 p.m. (local time), when the first reports of a shooting were received, police arrested the suspect 11 minutes later. Thomassen referred to the suspect as an "ethnic Dane," a term usually used to describe a white person. 

Besides this, a blurry image of the accused shooter—a person in knee-length shorts, a vest or sleeveless shirt, and carrying what looked to be a rifle in his right hand—was released by the Danish television station TV2, Associated Press reported.  

People were seen fleeing the mall in pictures taken at the incident, while TV2 released a picture of a person being carried out on a stretcher. Following the shooting, a sizable number of police officers with heavy weapons patrolled the area, and there were also a number of fire department vehicles parked outside the mall. 

(credit: AP)

(credit: AP)

PM Frederiksen and Royal Family expressed condolences

Following the terrible gun attack, Denmark's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen said that her nation has suffered a ‘cruel attack’. She expressed sympathy to individuals who had lost loved ones and urged Danes to unite and support one another during this troubling time. According to a BBC report, PM Frederiksen stated, “Denmark was hit by a cruel attack on Sunday night.” She added, “Several were killed. Even more, wounded. Innocent families shopping or eating out. Children, adolescents and adults." 

Denmark’s PM further added, “Our beautiful and usually so safe capital was changed in a split second”.  

Meanwhile, the royal family of Denmark expressed their profound condolences to the victims, their families, and all those who are impacted by the misfortune. The statement from Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, and Crown Princess Mary said, "We do not yet know the full extent of the tragedy, but it is already clear that more people have lost their lives and that even more have been injured," BBC reported. 

(Image: AP)