Police launched a large manhunt after several shots were fired near a horse racing track as an overnight techno event ended.
AARAU, Switzerland — A 22-year-old woman was killed and five other people were wounded early Sunday when gunfire erupted near a techno rave at a horse racing track in northern Switzerland, prompting a major search for an unknown attacker or attackers, authorities said.
The shooting was reported shortly after 2:30 a.m. Aug. 30 in the Schachen district of Aarau, the capital of Switzerland’s Aargau canton. Police said four men and another woman, ages 24 to 27, were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to severe. All six victims lived in Switzerland. Authorities had not publicly identified them, but Swiss and Italian reporting confirmed the woman who died was an Italian citizen living in Switzerland.
The shooting happened around the end of Aarau Rave VOL. 7, an annual electronic music event held at the Schachen horse racing track. Swiss public broadcaster SRF reported that the event had been scheduled to end at 2 a.m. and was already over when the shooting occurred. Police said only about 100 people were believed to have remained at the site by then, although the exact number present during the gunfire had not been established.
Aargau Cantonal Police said investigators still did not know whether one person or several people fired the shots. Authorities also had not determined where the shots came from, how many rounds were fired or what led to the violence. Police said the motive remained unknown as investigators searched the grounds for evidence and interviewed people who had been at the event.
A large emergency operation followed the shooting. Police, firefighters and medical crews responded to the Schachen area, while streets and facilities around the racecourse were temporarily closed. A cantonal disaster-response unit was also deployed, and a Swiss military Super Puma helicopter assisted the operation. Police in Freiburg, Germany, also took part in search efforts near the border, according to reports from The Associated Press and German news agency dpa.
By Sunday afternoon, police said they believed the person or people responsible were no longer in Aarau, although the manhunt remained active. Authorities said they did not have information identifying a suspect or establishing whether more than one person was involved. Police increased their presence beyond the city as a precaution while investigators continued reviewing evidence and material provided by witnesses.
The Aargau Racing Club, which operates the horse racing grounds, said the annual rave had been overshadowed by a serious incident and expressed sympathy for the people affected and their families. The club thanked emergency workers and said authorities were investigating the circumstances. Organizers of the rave separately described themselves as devastated by the violence and said they would cooperate with the investigation.
The Italian Foreign Ministry’s crisis unit was following the case with the Italian Embassy in Bern and the Consulate General in Basel after the victim was confirmed to be an Italian citizen, ANSA reported. Her name had not been publicly released. Swiss authorities also withheld the identities of the five injured people in keeping with local privacy practices.
The shooting drew particular attention because deadly public shootings are uncommon in Switzerland. The country has relatively high levels of private gun ownership compared with many European nations, but incidents involving gunfire against groups of people remain rare. The scale of Sunday’s police response included officers across the canton as investigators sought to determine whether the shooting followed a dispute or had another motive. Authorities had not reached a public conclusion about what triggered it.
Witnesses told Swiss media that some people initially mistook the gunfire for fireworks as the rave was winding down. Police later gathered remaining attendees so investigators could speak with them and appealed for photographs or video that might help establish what happened. Authorities have not publicly said whether surveillance footage or witness recordings have identified the shooter.
The investigation and manhunt were continuing Sunday afternoon, with no arrest publicly announced. Police spokesperson Bernhard Graser said evidence collection remained underway, and Aargau authorities scheduled another media briefing for 6:30 p.m. local time. Officials said the exact circumstances, motive and identity of whoever fired the shots remained unresolved.