Three people have been killed and three seriously injured in a fatal shooting in Copenhagen after a gunman opened fire near a Harry Style's concert. Emergency services rushed to Field's Mall after gunfire in the Danish capital at 5.30pm local time yesterday.
Terrifying videos show the suspect storming the shopping centre armed with the weapon, used for hunting in rural Denmark. People are seen screaming and scrambling in terror while social media appears to show the moment the attacker was detained.
Harry Styles cancelled the gig and said the shooting had left him 'heartbroken', the Mirror reports. The suspected gunman was arrested at the scene by Danish police. Terrorism has not been ruled out as a motive and he has been charged with manslaughter.
"Denmark was hit by a cruel attack on Sunday night. Several were killed. Even more wounded. Innocent families shopping or eating out. Children, adolescents and adults," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement late on Sunday.
"Our beautiful and usually so safe capital was changed in a split second," she said. "I want to encourage the Danes to stand together and support each other in this difficult time."
Police launched a massive search operation throughout the local Zealand region early Sunday evening in search of any accomplices. "We are going to have a large investigation and a massive operational presence in Copenhagen until we can say with certainty: He was alone," police inspector Soren Thomassen said.
The shooter killed a man in his forties and two "young people", a man and a woman. Several more were wounded, and among those were three in critical condition. Footage shows the gunman slinging a huge rifle over his shoulder as he paces back and forth in the shopping centre.
An onlooker filmed the attacker from about 100m away as the man, wearing shorts and a vest, appears to wait for his victims. A statement from Harry Styles concert promoter Live Nation said: "Tonight's concert with Harry Styles has been cancelled by direction of the Danish Police.
"We are all truly devastated by the events of today and our thoughts are with the victims and their families. We are looking into future possibilities for the show, and hope to be able to give ticket buyers direct information as soon as possible."
In a tweet, Styles said he was "heartbroken" and "devastated for the victims". "I'm heartbroken along with the people of Copenhagen," he said. "I adore this city. The people are so warm and full of love.
"I'm devastated for the victims, their families, and everyone hurting. I'm sorry we couldn't be together. Please look after each other. H."
Large crowds had already gathered inside the arena when the show's cancellation was announced and they were asked to leave. There is no indication the shooting is linked to Styles' planned concert.
Danish tabloid BT published unverified video footage it said was shot by a witness to the attack, Mahdi Al-wazni, showing a man with a large rifle walking through the mall and swinging it around his shoulders. "He seemed very aggressive and shouted different things," Al-wazni told BT.
Footage published by tabloid Ekstra Bladet showed one person being carried by rescue workers into an ambulance on a stretcher. "People first thought it was a thief... Then I suddenly hear shots and threw myself behind the counter inside the store," an eyewitness, Rikke Levandovski, told broadcaster TV2.
"He is just shooting into the crowd, not up in the ceiling or into the floor," she added. The multi-storey shopping mall is located around 5 kilometres (3 miles) south of downtown Copenhagen.
Following the shooting, the Danish royal palace announced it had cancelled a reception with Crown Prince Frederik connected to the Tour de France. The reception was due to be held on the royal yacht that is moored in Sonderborg, the town where the third stage of the race ended this year.
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