Shooting at rave event in Switzerland: One dead and five injured

A 22-year-old woman was killed by a gunshot or multiple shots at a rave event in Switzerland. Four men and one woman between the ages of 24 and 27 were injured, some seriously, reported the Aargau cantonal police. According to the authorities, all victims reside in Switzerland. One or more perpetrators fired numerous shots early on Sunday morning. The motive for what happened is still unclear. An intensive search was carried out for the perpetrator or perpetrators.

Police: Timing speaks against attack

A police spokesman said that possible motives include a settlement or an attack. The timing speaks against the latter. The event, which was planned from Saturday afternoon to 2 a.m. on Sunday, had already ended and there were probably only about a hundred people left on the site. The spokesman said he could not give an exact number. The first emergency calls to the police were received at 2:30 a.m. The emergency services then deployed with a large contingent.

Authorities urged people to avoid the area. It remained largely cordoned off on Sunday. But less because of an acute danger, but rather for the purpose of securing evidence, according to the police spokesman.

The police asked that video and images be sent to the Instagram channel of the Aargau cantonal police. The bloody incident took place at a rave event that had been established for years on the grounds of the Aargau Racing Club. The association expressed its condolences to all the relatives. Aarau in the canton of Aargau is located about 40 kilometers west of Zurich.

Thousands were expected at the racetrack event

«The Aarau rave party was overshadowed by a serious event. The responsible emergency services were immediately alerted and were on site with the necessary resources to deal with the situation and take the necessary measures," the association wrote in a statement.

The organizers were expecting around 3,500 people, according to the website. “The event area around the largest racetrack in Switzerland offers a location that couldn’t be more special,” was how the organizer advertised the “largest rave in northwestern Switzerland” in advance.

Witnesses: “It was terrible”

Several witnesses spoke to the Swiss newspaper “Blick”. At first, the visitors thought the shots were fireworks, said one woman. Then someone said “Everyone down!” called. The group then hid under the DJ booth. A woman was hit by a bullet. All visitors to the rave were taken to a gym by the police. “It was terrible,” the witness told the newspaper.

The DJ at the event also expressed his deep concern. What happened at the rave was absolutely heartbreaking, wrote DJ Tekibo in an Instagram story. “Techno and raves should be a place of freedom and safety.” He's still trying to process the whole thing. He lost an important person and just couldn't find the right words. He announced that he would retire for a certain period of time.

Police on the German side are also involved in the search

After the incident, the police on the German side were also involved in the general search. This is purely routine in police work, emphasized a spokesman for the Freiburg police headquarters. He did not provide any information about the specific measures. The canton of Aargau lies on the German border. A police spokesman said an escape to Germany only takes about 40 minutes from Aarau.