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Gunman who killed 11 in Sweden’s ‘worst mass shooting in history’ named
Rickard Andersson, 35, has been exposed as the lone gunman behind the shocking attack at Risbergska School in Örebro’s Västhaga district on Tuesday.
Relatives who spoke to Swedish outlet Expressen described him as a reclusive loner who had been out of work for 10 years.“We haven’t had much contact with him in recent years.
“As a child he was different but lively. He did well in school,” one relative told the outlet.
Andersson had “extreme social phobia” and walked around with his “hood up” while covering his mouth with his hands, according to Expressen. A former classmate told the outlet he was “a little scared” of him because he always hid his face.
The shooter legally changed his name from Jonas Simon eight years ago in a move that shocked his family members. “We haven’t had much contact with him in recent years. As a child he was different but lively. He did well in school,” a relative said.
Another said: “He’s really a loner. He used to have a friend he hung out with a lot, but not now. He wants to be by himself. He doesn’t seem to like people.”
He reportedly grew up in Örebro and finished secondary school with “mixed grades”.
Andersson settled in nearby Storgatan after school. The gunman was reportedly in hardly any contact with his parents who are “out travelling a lot”, although a relative noted he liked to “take care of their dog”.
Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported how the attacker had a hunting license and had used a hunting weapon in the shooting.
The shooting took place in the city of Örebro, around 200km (125 miles) west of the capital Stockholm, with reports claiming the gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon.
The school Anderssson unleashed the weapon on teaches adults who did not complete school or are seeking higher grades to access higher education.
\It is situated on a campus that also houses schools for children.Investigators have said they were trying to discover a motive behind the shooting and were ‘trying to create a picture of whether more people are involved’.
Investigators said they were trying to discover a motive behind the shooting and were ‘trying to create a picture of whether more people are involved’.
Shots were reported at Risbergska school at around 1pm on Tuesday with armed response units deployed to the educational facility.
Police also said that they do not know the motive but don’t believe it is terrorism.
They added that they “had no warning sign” about the attack.Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson said the tragedy is the worst mass shooting in the country’s history.”
Today, we have witnessed brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people,” Mr Kristersson told reporters.”
This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history. Many questions remain unanswered, and I cannot provide those answers either.”
But the time will come when we will know what happened, how it could occur, and what motives may have been behind it. Let us not speculate,” he said.
The force urged the public to stay away from the centre as officers searched and evacuated the premises.Students in nearby schools, and the school in question, had earlier been locked in “for safety reasons,” with police spokesperson Lars Hedelin telling media there was a “danger to life” warning in place.”
This is currently seen as an attempted murder, arson and aggravated weapons offence,” the force said in an earlier statement.
LBC