Swedish authorities have confirmed 11 people died in Tuesday’s atrocity, including the gunman, after the suspect prowled through the halls of the adult education centre, picking off victims
A harrowing video taken during this week’s school shooting in Sweden features someone screaming “Get out of Europe” before a volley of shots rings out.
Student Hashem Shams recorded the terrifying moment while hiding in a toilet at Orebro’s Risbergska adult eduction centre. Outside, the gunman was prowling the halls, picking off people at the facility, which offers language courses for migrants. In total, 10 people were killed.
Local broadcaster TV4 combed through the video and used technology to improve the audio file. From the analysis, they could hear someone shouting “You should leave Europe” just moments before two gunshots could be heard. However, they were unable to confirm that the gunman was the person shouting.
Swedish media has named the gunman as Rickard Andersson, 35, who was described by relatives as a withdrawn, unemployed loner. They added that he was “having a hard time”.
In the video, Hashem Shams is sitting in the locked cubicle, trying to slow his breathing in the hopes of not giving away where he is hiding. At the same time, gunshots and shouting are getting closer and closer outside. It continues that way until he’s actually standing outside the cubicle.
Another shot is fired with the bullet casing heard ringing out as it hit the floor. He then climbed on to the sink so he wouldn’t be shot through the door.
Another woman says that the image of her children flashed before her eyes as the gunman in Sweden’s worst mass shooting paced outside the room in which she was hiding.
Hellen Werme hid in the classroom with five others as the perpetrator stood just metres away. The 35-year-old frozen in terror as they scrambled for cover, recounting how she feared she may never see her young children again.
Speaking to Swedish newspaper Expressen, Hellen said she though of her children, aged just two and three, as she took cover. “Those were the worst hours of my life. I did not know if I would get shot there and then, or in ten minutes. You simply waited,” she said.
Shots were heard from inside the room where Hellen had been at the time, alongside three classmates and two teachers. The six were about to begin a lesson on inserting catheters on patients. Hellen said she initially thought the shots were the sound of “a door slamming”, with one teacher even exclaiming “sounds like someone is angry”.