GENEVA (AP) — A shooting at a rave in the northern Swiss canton of Aargau left one person dead and five wounded early Sunday, local police and media reported. Police said they are still looking for a suspect.
“The search for the unknown perpetrator is ongoing,” police wrote on X. “Possible motives and the exact circumstances of the crime remain unclear.”
Cantonal police wrote on X that a 22-year-old woman died of injuries at the scene. Four men and
one woman, between 24 and 27 years old, were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from minor to severe.
All of the victims are residents of Switzerland, police said. They did not release their names in line with Swiss privacy rules.
Authorities were alerted around 2:30 a.m. to the shooting in the canton’s capital Aarau, 46 kilometers (29 miles) west of Zurich, Police spokesperson Pascal Wenzel told Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
At the time of the incident, the “Aarau Rave VOL. 7” was taking place at the horse racing track in Aarau’s Schachen district, SRF reported. The fire department cordoned off a large area around the site.
Swiss DJ Tekibo, who was performing at the rave, wrote on Instagram that “what happened at Aarauer rave is absolutely heartbreaking.”
“Techno and raves are supposed to be a place for freedom and safety, never a place where something like this happens,” he added.
A major police operation was underway and locals were asked to stay away from the area. Officers, firefighters and ambulances were on the scene in large numbers. Police in Freiburg, in neighboring Germany, also took part in search efforts for the suspect, the German news agency dpa reported.
Swiss daily Blick reported that rave visitors initially mistook the shots for fireworks until somebody shouted “everyone down.”
The newspaper wrote that the shooting took place right after the event ended. Police later took all remaining visitors to a nearby gym, Blick reported.
Police asked possible witnesses with videos or photos to share them with investigators.
Aarau has about 22,300 residents. It is about 30 km (18 miles) south of the German border.
