Thousands gathered in Copenhagen to pay tribute to the victims of a shooting at a shopping mall over the weekend that left three people dead, including two teenagers.
Cruel, unfair and pointless. Tonight, we are all in mourning,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the massive crowd that gathered Tuesday outside the Field’s shopping complex where the attack took place. Frederiksen called the unit before the tragedy.
A boy and a girl, both 17, and a 47-year-old Russian man living in Denmark were killed and at least four people were injured after a gunman opened fire in Copenhagen’s busy shopping center on Sunday.
The late-afternoon shooting rattled the city, which had just hosted the opening stages of the Tour de France cycling competition and saw the return of the Roskilde music festival after cancellations due to Covid-19.
“It’s not hard to imagine, ‘what if it was my son?’ – I am a mother of two teenagers,” Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Andersen said during a speech, which was followed by a moment of silence.
“Children and young people must 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 united in this difficult time,” Frederik said.
The mood was somber, with some crying among the large families and young people who had gathered.
“I am quite ambivalent. Of course it’s good to see all these people who are here to support people who have been hurt by this action, 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 he heard the first shots.
“This used to be a place where I can go to work, be happy and have a good time. Now I’m scared to even come here to this part of town.
The alleged perpetrator of the attack, a 22-year-old Dane who, according to the authorities, was known to mental health services, was ordered into custody in a locked psychiatric ward Monday on murder charges.
Police said Tuesday they had no new information to release about the investigation.
The Field Mall has been closed since the attack and is expected to reopen on July 11.
Denmark’s largest cinema chain also kept all its cinemas closed because the 17-year-old killed in the attack worked at the mall’s cinema.
Nordisk Film Biographer said on Facebook that the company made the decision out of respect for the victims and “to discuss the situation with our staff.”
With Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
