Five minutes after the alarm, the first police officers arrived at the scene and entered the school. They were met by someone who appeared to have a rifle-like weapon.
They reported smoke development and perceived that someone was approaching and were also subsequently subjected to gunfire, says Gabriel Henning, the police's press spokesperson in Region Bergslagen.
The police officers were forced to take cover, and Henning believes it happened indoors. The police did not fire any shots.
The smoke disrupted
The smoke impaired visibility.
Then you couldn't just move forward if you don't know what you're moving towards, says Henning.
Ten minutes after the alarm, the regional task force arrived on the scene – with equipment needed in smoke-filled environments, according to Henning.
Did the shooting continue after the task force arrived, or had the perpetrator disappeared?
I actually have no information about that, says Henning and adds that he cannot answer when the shooting stopped.
"Meter by meter"
According to Henning, the perpetrator was not seen when the task force arrived because the search took time. He emphasizes that the school is 17,000 square meters large.
The task force worked their way forward, as they say, meter by meter, room by room. At that point, they didn't know where the shooter was. He could be sitting and aiming somewhere. We knew he was in the building, but not exactly where.
The acute operation was discontinued after an hour when the suspected perpetrator was found dead, but at the same time, they still didn't know if there were more perpetrators, says Henning.
