Arrest, evacuation

Shots fired in shopping center: one person hit

There has been a major police operation in western Sweden near Gothenburg. One person was hit by shots in a shopping center and a suspect was arrested.

Investigators were alerted at around 3 p.m. after several callers reported loud banging noises. "I had my coffee in my hand when I heard people shouting: Run, run!" an eyewitness told Swedish broadcaster SVT.

The suspect was caught at the scene by security guards, according to Swedish broadcaster SVT. It is still unclear whether the person acted alone. The crime scene has been cordoned off and is being investigated by the police. Footage on social media showed police officers taking a person away.

Background is unclear
The condition of the injured person is unclear, police in western Sweden said. Nothing is yet known about the background to the crime either. The town of Kungsbacka is located in the southwest of Sweden near Gothenburg.

Sweden has long been struggling with criminal gangs, which have been involved in conflicts in numerous places in the country and are sometimes extremely violent. Shots are also fired time and again. Whether the incident in the shopping center was also related to gang crime remained unclear until the evening.