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Manhunt underway in Switzerland after rave shooting kills one, injures five
One dead, five injured in shooting at Swiss rave as police hunt suspect
A manhunt is underway in Switzerland after a shooting at a rave in Aarau left one woman dead and five others injured in the early hours of Sunday.
The 22-year-old victim, identified as an Italian national, died at the scene at the Schachen horse racing track, where the “Aarau Rave VOL. 7” event was being held, according to Aargau Cantonal Police. Four men and one woman, aged between 24 and 27, were hospitalized with injuries ranging from minor to severe, police spokesman Bernhard Graser said at a news conference. All victims were Swiss residents.
Shots were fired shortly after 2:30 a.m. local time, minutes after the music stopped, according to eyewitnesses cited by Swiss daily Blick. Some attendees initially mistook the gunfire for fireworks until someone shouted, “everyone down.” A witness told Blick that a woman hiding behind a refrigerator was struck in the back and later died despite attempts to revive her.
Police have cordoned off a large area around the racecourse, swimming pool, and sports facilities, urging the public to stay away. An armoured vehicle was seen blocking a road, and armed officers were deployed on highways up to 30 kilometers from the scene as a precaution, according to AFP and Swiss public broadcaster SRF. German police in Freiburg are assisting Swiss forces in the search, German news agency dpa reported.
Authorities have not identified the suspect or suspects, and motives remain unclear. “We have no definite information about who is behind the attack,” Graser told Reuters. “We don’t know if it’s one, if it’s several people, if they are on the run by vehicle or on foot.” Investigators are examining whether a personal dispute may have led to the shooting, with police noting that most attendees had already left by the time of the incident.
Organizers of the event, which had expected up to 3,500 people, expressed shock. “A rave should always be a place of joy and love, never a place where people are killed, injured, or left in fear,” Agency Events AG said in a statement. DJ Tekibo, a performer at the event, wrote on Instagram that he had lost a friend and was “still trying to process what happened.”
Police have appealed for witnesses to share photos or videos of the incident and set up a helpline for relatives. The Aargau Cantonal Disaster Response Unit and an army Super Puma helicopter were deployed to the scene, according to SRF and Blick. The swimming pool in Aarau remains closed due to the ongoing operation.
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