A 22-year-old Italian woman was killed and five people aged 24 to 27 were injured when a gunman opened fire at a techno rave in Aarau, Switzerland in the early hours of Sunday. Police in canton Aargau said the shooting occurred at the Schachen horse racing track at around 02:30 local time, and a manhunt is underway with cross-border support from officers in Freiburg, Germany.
Organisers Agency Events AG said up to 3,500 people had been expected at the event; a DJ posted that shots rang out immediately after his set ended. Police spokesperson Bernhard Graser told reporters investigators had no information on the perpetrator or motive, and stated that suspects were no longer believed to be in the immediate area but the search continued nationwide at full speed.
Witnesses told Swiss daily Blick that attendees initially mistook the gunfire for fireworks as the event was winding down. All victims are Swiss residents; police asked witnesses to submit photographs and video, and Switzerland's federal authorities approved tighter gun control rules in 2019, though violent shootings remain rare in the country.