Sweden is grappling with the aftermath of its first-ever school shooting, which occurred inside a adult education center. The incident was horrifying and the devastated community is still trying to come to terms with it. The school was a melting pot of cultures, with 30% of its students enrolled in Swedish for Immigrants classes. The shooting happened at around 12:30 pm on a Tuesday.  A few minutes before the incident, police had arrived at the location and were met with a scene of chaos. The shooter, who was found dead along with four rifles which he legally possessed,  was a 35-year-old man named Rickard Andersson. A young woman from Syria who had immigrated as a child was one of the students at the school. She thought the screams and gunshots were a prank. She later realized it was a real attack. She was terrified and her heart was pounding. As of Friday, the identities of the victims were still being verified.  However, it was confirmed that people from Syria and Bosnia were among the dead.

Sweden had never experienced a school shooting before. The incident has shaken the community. A student mentioned that people are now afraid to go to school. He also stated that Sweden is now like America. The right-wing government has responded to the attack by announcing plans to ban semi-automatic weapons and tighten regulations for gun licenses.

Shooting victims came in all shapes and sizes, both men and women from different nations. The victims were a mix of different ages. One of these victims was Salim Iskef. He was a refugee from Aleppo in Syria. His father had been killed in the war. Salim was shot during the attack. He managed to make a video call to his fiancée, Kareen Elia, to tell her he was shot. He told her he loved her.  She was heartbroken.  She broke down in tears and screams. She had to be carried out of a memorial service. The police are still looking into whether racism played a part in this terrible event.

School Shooting in Sweden Leaves Community Reeling

Actions