Thousands of people gathered in Copenhagen to remember the victims of the weekend shopping mall shooting that left three people dead, including two teenagers.
“Cruel, unfair and senseless. Tonight we all mourn,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a massive crowd outside the Field shopping complex where the attack took place on Tuesday. Frederiksen called for unity in the face of tragedy.
A 17-year-old boy and a girl living in Denmark and a 47-year-old Russian were killed and at least four others were injured. A gunman opened fire in a shopping mall in Copenhagen on Sunday.
The afternoon shooting rocked the city, which hosted the opening stages of the Tour de France cycling race and saw the return of the Roskilde music festival after cancellations due to Covid-19.
“It is not difficult to imagine, ‘what would it be like if I had a child?’ “I am a mother of two teenagers,” Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Andersen said in her speech, which was followed by a minute’s silence.
“Children and young people should not die. They should be immortal,” Andersen added.
Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik also attended the service, where speeches were interspersed with musical performances.
“We are in this together during this difficult time,” Frederick said.
The mood was somber, and among the many families and young people who had gathered, some were crying.
“I’m quite uncertain. Of course, it’s nice to see all these people here to support the people affected by this act, but I’m also a little scared,” said Oliver Stoltz, who works at a sporting goods store in the mall. .
The 24-year-old was at Field’s, located between the city center and the capital’s airport, when the shooting began and heard the first shots.
“This was a place where I could go to work, be happy and have a good time. Now I’m even afraid to come from here to this part of the city.”
The alleged attacker, a 22-year-old Dane, said authorities were familiar with mental health services. was arrested on Monday in a closed psychiatric ward on charges of murder.
On Tuesday, police said they had no new information to release about the investigation.
Field’s mall has been closed since the attack and is expected to reopen on July 11.
Denmark’s largest cinema chain also closed all its cinemas because the 17-year-old boy who died in the attack was working in a cinema in a shopping centre.
Nordisk Film Biografer said on Facebook that the company made the decision to respect the victims and to “discuss the situation with our employees.”
With Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
