The silence, the stillness was overwhelming when a collected Ulf Kristersson stood at the podium in Rosenbad. He, like Strömmer, was dressed in black suits with dark ties.
About seven hours had passed since the alarm about the shooting at the Risbergska upper secondary school reached the police in Örebro.
It's hard to take in the scope of the darkness that is now spreading over Sweden tonight, said Kristersson and continued:
This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history.
Hasty Conclusions
So he gathered himself in a general but concentrated appeal to wait for the police investigation and not to draw hasty conclusions or accusations.
Let's not speculate, said Kristersson and warned against rumor-mongering and false information that can spread.
We all want to understand why. In time, the picture will become clear, he continued and stated that he knew several people who were in schools near Risbergska and who were locked in for security reasons.
The Prime Minister emphasized that "this is not the time for politics at all", when asked if a political gathering across party lines could be required. More important is to talk to one's closest, to one's children and relatives, he said.
But we should not spread fear and anxiety.
Understand Motives
Even Justice Minister Strömmer stressed the importance of letting the police conduct their investigation to try to understand the perpetrator's possible motives and incentives.
What has happened today is of course a terrible tragedy. It's an event that shakes our entire society to its core, said Strömmer.
The Justice Minister reminded that violent incidents have occurred in schools before in Sweden, including in Trollhättan in 2015 and Malmö in 2022.
But it has not happened to this extent. It's unspeakably sad. A tragedy, above all for the victims and their relatives, said Strömmer.
He was asked several times if school security needs to be increased. Work is underway on that, he replied, but pointed out that there are drawbacks to fencing off and isolating schools to secure them.
The ministers thanked the police, rescue services, healthcare and school staff, and addressed the victims and their relatives.
My and all of Sweden's thoughts are today primarily with those who are affected. We bear your sorrow, said Kristersson and fell silent for a moment, before concluding that we will all be forced to relate to this day.
