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Sweden shooting: At least three hospitalised after suspected attempted murders in Kristianstad

Police monitor the area at the scene of a shooting in Kristianstad (EPA/Johan Nilsson)
Police monitor the area at the scene of a shooting in Kristianstad (EPA/Johan Nilsson)

Three people have been hospitalised and a further three arrested after a shooting in Sweden, with police reportedly uncertain whether there could be more casualties or perpetrators.

A “large police operation” was quickly established in the southern city of Kristianstad after multiple gunshots were heard at around 3:40pm on Tuesday.

A man in his 20s, one in his 30s and a woman in her 60s were treated for serious injuries, authorities said.

Police were initially placed on guard at hospital for the victims’ protection. But it remained unclear on Tuesday evening whether they were the intended targets of the attack, or had any shared relationship with each other or with the suspected perpetrators.

Three men were later arrested on Tuesday evening on suspicion of attempted murder, Sweden’s national broadcaster SVT reported, quoting a police spokesperson as saying that there could be more perpetrators involved.

Police initially said that “several people” had been found with suspected gunshot wounds in “various locations” in the district of Nasby, with one crime scene close to a shopping centre.

Officers reportedly feared there could be more casualties as some people had left the scene in private vehicles – one of them among the three now in hospital.

“Now time has passed, we assume that it is about three people, at least for the moment,” spokesperson Richard Lundqvist was quoted as saying.

Their injuries are reported to be serious, but not life-threatening.

Police monitor the area at the scene of a shooting in Kristianstad (EPA)
Police monitor the area at the scene of a shooting in Kristianstad (EPA)

There were also reports about gunshots in the same area on Monday evening.

Police were quoted as saying they had discovered bullet holes in a road sign, with no indication of any injuries.

It comes amid a rise in gun violence in the Scandinavian nation, with a report this year from Sweden’s national council for crime prevention stating that it is the only European country where fatal shootings have significantly risen since 2000.

The group blamed the rise in gun violence primarily on organised crime.

Additional reporting by AP