By Rachael Bunyan
Published: 09:50 GMT, 11 December 2023 | Updated: 10:38 GMT, 11 December 2023
A gunman killed two people and wounded another as he launched a deadly attack at two locations in a southern Swiss tourist hotspot on Monday, police said.
The man, who hasn’t yet been identified, opened fire on several people in the picturesque town of Sion at around 8am before going on the run, police in Valais state said.
Police have now launched a manhunt for the gunman, who is said to have fired at his victims at the Sarosa painting company in the Ronquoz area and then in the Potences area of the small town.
The gunman appears to have known his victims, police said, but they didn’t give further details or specify why he opened fire.
‘Two people were killed and another was injured,’ police said, adding that the man’s identity and his motives for carrying out the shootings remained unknown.
‘According to initial findings, the perpetrator knew his victims,’ police said.
Police have now set up road blockades around the canton of Valais in an attempt to stop the gunman from fleeing the country. The Italian border is around 50 miles away.
The man, who hasn’t yet been identified, opened fire on several people in Sion shortly before 8 a.m. for reasons that aren’t yet clear, police in Valais canton (state) said in a statement (file image of Sion, Switzerland)
Local prosecutors opened a murder investigation into the shooting in Sion, a town of about 35,000 people in the southwest of Switzerland.
Switzerland, a country of around 9 million, 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.
Switzerland has mandatory military service for men, meaning that all those aged between 18 and 34 are given a ‘fit for service’ pistol or rifle as well as training on how to use them.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow…
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