Newsletter Newsletters Events Events Podcasts Videos Africanews
Loader
Advertisement

Swiss police search for gunman who killed two people and injured another

Police officers control cars near Saint Maurice, as they search for a gunman who killed two people and injured another in the southern Swiss town of Sion, on December 11, 2023
Police officers control cars near Saint Maurice, as they search for a gunman who killed two people and injured another in the southern Swiss town of Sion, on December 11, 2023 Copyright  FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP or licensors
Copyright FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP or licensors
By Euronews with AFP
Published on
Share this article Comments
Share this article Close Button

Police search for gunman who killed two people and left another injured in the Swiss town of Sion. It is a rare incident for the country.

ADVERTISEMENT

Swiss police were on the hunt on Monday for a 36-year-old man, considered "dangerous", who shot several people in the town of Sion, leaving two dead and one injured.

"According to initial findings, the perpetrator knew his victims," the local police said in a statement.

The police have put in place a major operation "to apprehend the gunman".

This type of incident is rare in Switzerland.

Police officers control a bus near Saint Maurice, as they search for a gunman who killed two people and injured another in the southern Swiss town of Sion, on December 11, 202
Police officers control a bus near Saint Maurice, as they search for a gunman who killed two people and injured another in the southern Swiss town of Sion, on December 11, 202 FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP or licensors

The police have also launched an appeal for witnesses, providing information on the identity of the person and publishing his photo.

However, they have warned that "this person is dangerous and under no circumstances should you attempt to arrest him yourself or approach him".

Authorities were alerted to a wounded person in a parking lot in Sion, the capital of Valais canton, early Monday morning. Officers found a woman with a fatal gunshot wound. A man was shot dead a few minutes later and another woman was wounded.

"Two people died and another was injured", the police said, adding that the shooter's motives were not yet known.

The local public prosecutor's office has opened a murder investigation.

Switzerland, a country of around nine million people, has a high rate of gun ownership.

Small Arms Survey, a Swiss-based organisation that monitors global trends in armed violence, estimates the number of firearms in civilian possession at 2.3 million.

Go to accessibility shortcuts
Share this article Comments

Read more

Two killed, six wounded after gunman opens fire at Florida State University

Peter Salzmann’s 347 km/h wingsuit record shown in new footage

Switzerland's top court upholds Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan's conviction for rape