One person was killed and five others, some seriously, were injured in a shooting early Sunday at a rave party near the horse racing track in Aarau, northern Switzerland, authorities said [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
The incident took place around 2:30 to 3 a.m. during the annual techno rave party that drew about 3,500 attendees Saturday afternoon through the early hours Sunday [4, 5, 6]. Police spokeswoman Vanessa Rumpold said, "Several shots were fired within a large group of people," describing bursts of gunfire at the event site in the canton of Aargau [4].
Aarau is located roughly 40 to 46 kilometers west of Zurich [1, 3, 6]. The shooting happened near or at the hippodrome, a local horse racing track, where the event was held [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
Authorities launched a large-scale manhunt for the unknown shooter or shooters and increased police presence beyond the Aarau area. A Swiss military helicopter was also deployed during the police operations aimed at securing the perimeter and locating suspects [1, 7, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
The Aargau Cantonal Police stated, "The manhunt for the unknown perpetrator is under way. Possible motives as well as the exact circumstances of the crime are still unclear." No additional details on suspects or motives have emerged [1].
Police have appealed to the public to share any photos or videos of the shooting. Several videos capturing gunshots were published by the Blick newspaper [7, 2, 4, 5, 6].
Although Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe, shootings are rare, particularly after the government tightened gun control laws in 2019 [2, 4].
The police operation continued throughout Sunday morning with large areas around Aarau cordoned off to aid the search for those responsible [1, 7, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Authorities have not announced any arrests.
The investigation remains ongoing as officers continue to gather evidence and interview witnesses. The next update is expected once progress is made in identifying suspects or clarifying the shooting's circumstances.
