Three people have been confirmed dead following a deadly shooting at a hair salon in central Uppsala, Sweden, on the eve of the annual Walpurgis spring festival. The attack took place near Vaksala Square, just before festivities were set to begin, drawing large crowds into the normally peaceful university city north of Stockholm.
According to eyewitnesses, the shooter arrived quickly, fired multiple shots, and fled the scene on a scooter. “Everything happened so fast. It just went bang, bang, bang,” one witness told Swedish broadcaster TV4. Another resident said he initially thought the gunshots were fireworks before seeing emergency services swarm the area.
Police immediately launched a murder investigation and cordoned off a large section of the city center. A police helicopter joined the search operation, and train services in the vicinity were briefly suspended to prevent the suspect from escaping. Authorities have since resumed rail operations but are continuing an intensive manhunt, including door-to-door inquiries.
One of the victims, according to reports by Swedish national broadcaster SVT, had been under investigation for allegedly plotting an attack against a relative of a known gang leader. This has raised concerns that the shooting may be gang-related.
Sweden has seen a worrying rise in gun violence and gang-related attacks in recent years, prompting the government to push for tighter gun control legislation. Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer condemned the attack, calling it a “brutal act of violence.”
Despite public fear ahead of the Walpurgis festival, police have attempted to reassure citizens. An official statement on the police website emphasized that, based on current information, the shooting appears to be an “isolated incident” and there is “no danger to the public.”
The tragedy comes just two months after a separate mass shooting at an adult education center in Orebro left ten people dead, intensifying the national debate on crime and public safety.
