Yesterday’s mass shooting at the Field’s shopping center in Copenhagen left three dead and at least 30 injured, four of them seriously. The killed are a 17-year-old girl, a 17-year-old boy and a man of 47. According to the chief of police in Copenhagen, the victims were random. Thomas Jensen was inside the mall when the shooting began. – I was in there early, so I got out when the police came, he says to news. – I tried to check for information. I think it took a long time before anything happened. But then there were helicopter noises, and then I realized the seriousness. Jensen says he was inside the grocery store Bilka, when a large crowd began to run. “They shoot, they shoot,” they shouted. Then a panic broke out in people. Relatives and victims in Copenhagen are in line to talk to crisis teams. Photo: MOHAMMED ALAYOUBI / news 16-year-old Swede seriously injured Several of those who were present at the mall went to the concert of the British pop star, Harry Styles the same evening. The Royal Arena, where he was to perform, is located near the mall. One of those going to the concert was a 16-year-old Swedish girl who was shot. She is now in hospital and is seriously injured. She and a friend were shopping before the concert when the perpetrator struck. – When I came down from the escalator, just inside a corner, I felt heat and heard a bang. Then I understood that I had been hit, she says to Kristianstadsbladet. – I turned my head, and then I saw the perpetrator for a few seconds. The girl’s family tells Expressen that she will have surgery. Monday morning, flowers were laid outside Field’s mall. Photo: Christopher Isachsen Sandøy / news Seeking refuge in a cold room To hide from the shots, Jensen and the others inside the store sought refuge in a cold room, among dairy products. – We were not quite sure what it was, and thought that it might not be so serious. – But then there was a new wave and then I saw three young girls with blood all over their bodies, Jensen says. I asked what had happened and if they had been injured, and they did not. But they had been nearby. The group that was in the grocery store was taken out via a staff exit so that they could get out of the shopping center, Jensen explains. Jensen says that his thoughts went to other shooting episodes while he sought refuge, including the terrorist attack on Utøya. – I thought a lot about Utøya. I thought, now there comes a deed with a gun, and what should I do. What made the strongest impression on Jensen was to see children crying. – You could see that their parents were scared. I tried to reassure people, says Jensen. He was alone inside the mall, but says that his wife was shaken by the attack. Copenhagen is shaken In cafes around the city center, Danes sit and eat «breakfast», but the atmosphere is serious. The town hall, which is located right in the heart of Copenhagen city center, flags at half mast today. Store employee Jeanett Elfort works in one of the city’s busiest shopping streets and is on her way to open the store – the day after the incident that has shaken an entire nation. – I think it is so sad and terrible what happened in Denmark. We are not used to that here. We had the best weekend with the Tour de France which was fantastic for the Danes, it also ends that way here. That is what you want to remember from this weekend, says Elfort to news. – You’re a little panicky. We could all have been there. Jeanett Elfort works in a souvenir shop in Copenhagen. She thinks the Danes will stand together after yesterday’s mass shooting. Photo: Camilla Svennæs Bergland / news – My opinion is that he stands alone here in Denmark, says Elfort about the perpetrator. First and foremost, she wants the injured and relatives to be well taken care of. – The Danes stand together during festive events, and I think they will stand together in something as tragic as this, says Elfort. Kristian Kristensen immediately starts working in one of the city’s many water holes. He is clearly affected by yesterday’s incident, and as a political activist in the Socialist People’s Party’s youth. He believes that more emphasis must now be placed on mental health – especially among young men. – It is important to invest in people being admitted when they need it, and that people are treated for mental illness, Kristensen says to news. – In the long term, I hope we get better psychiatry in Denmark, says Kristiansen.
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