Sunday evening’s mass shooting in a shopping center in Copenhagen shakes Danes who are used to security, says ‘s Nordic correspondent Kirsi Heikel, who met people at the shopping center.
Kirsi Heikel,
Minna Pärssinen
COPENHAGEN Three people died in Sunday’s shooting, two of whom were 17 years old. Two of the four injured are teenagers.
So it’s no wonder that a lot of young people come to bring flowers in front of the popular Field’s shopping center on Monday. The police have arranged a place for flowers and candles in front of the entrance.
There are plenty of police officers and red and white plastic police tapes surround the whole block.
Police crime scene investigators do their work inside the shopping center. The center is still closed, possibly even for the whole week.
Laura and Mikkel live only five minutes away from the shopping center. Mikkeli’s mother called them on Sunday to tell them that there was a shooting in the shopping center. The mother wanted to check if the couple was safe. Both started following the news on social media. Both were still shocked.
– How can something like this happen in small Denmark? This is like an action movie, this is completely unreal, says Laura.
Now Laura would like more security measures in shopping centers. There could be metal detectors at the entrances and large bags should be searched. At the moment, control seems non-existent to Laura.
From Vejle Christine has come with his friend to bring flowers to the exit of the shopping center. The friends had been going to the shopping center on Sunday evening, but turned away after hearing about the mass shooting.
In Christine’s opinion, the situation is now safe: the police have dealt with the mass shooting quickly and efficiently.
Sacha and Nathanji work at a fertility treatment clinic connected to the shopping center. They had left work on Sunday at four, an hour and a half before the mass shooting.
When they heard what had happened, they began to find out if there were any wounded or dead among their friends or colleagues. None of the victims were known.
Sacha’s 7-year-old daughter has been very scared and worried about whether it is safe for her mother to work in the shopping center.
– This is sad, but this is the first time something like this has happened here, says Sacha as he reassured his daughter.
The Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice visited
In the afternoon, the Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen and the Minister of Justice Mathias Tesfaye will leave flowers in memory of the victims.
The ministers’ message is to those present and through the media to all of Denmark that it is safe in Denmark. However, it is still too early to assess what the attack will do to Danes’ sense of security in the long run. The exact motive for the act is not yet known.
– There is no reason to stop living. We encourage you to continue using the city. The police have a large presence, also to create a sense of security, says Justice Minister Tesfaye.
The ministers thank the people’s spirit of unity after what happened.
People keep pouring in after the ministers have left. The police have set up a tent on the spot, where citizens can go and discuss what happened with police employees.