Hundreds of people were milling around the aisles of Fields shopping centre, one of the largest and busiest in Scandinavia, when gunshots rang out in the late afternoon, causing immediate panic.
A witness “shocked” told on Danish television DRtaken over by The Corriere della Sera that he was in a restaurant when he heard the first shots. “I went under the bar counter, lay down and stood still until the police arrived”he testified. “I heard at least fifteen shots, it was unreal, like in a movie”.
Another witness, Maximilian von Renteln, explained to the BBC that he had heard the shots as he entered the mall. “At that time I didn’t believe in gunfire because that’s not something you think about in a country like Denmark”, he said. He realized the seriousness of the situation when he saw people running, “screaming and crying”.
NBC News notes that the authorities were quick to react because “Copenhagen police received an emergency call at 5.37am local time and the suspect was arrested at 5.48am”. According to the latest report published overnight from Sunday to Monday, the shooting left three dead and several injured, three of whom are in critical condition.
A suspect “known” of the police
“Denmark was hit by a cruel attack on Sunday evening”responded Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. “Several people were killed, and many others were injured. Innocent families, eating or shopping. Children, teenagers and adults”.
The country recalls that Denmark is not accustomed to dramas of this kind, the most recent dating back to February 2015, when “two Islamist attacks, against a cultural center and a synagogue, left two dead and injured six police officers”.
The identity of the alleged shooter, who was carrying a gun and ammunition at the time of his arrest, has not been released, but it is a “22 year old Dane”reports The Guardian. He was “charged with homicide and will appear before a judge on Monday”. Copenhagen Police Chief Søren Thomassen said the suspect was “known” police services, “but only peripherally”.