Gunman Kills 3 in Swiss Village

2 injured, suspect arrested: police
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 3, 2013 8:52 AM CST
Gunman Kills 3 in Swiss Village
Police patrol in the village of Daillon after a shooting, in Switzerland, early Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013.   (AP Photos/Keystone, Olivier Maire)

A man armed with an old military rifle and a handgun shot and killed three women and wounded two men last night in a southern Swiss village, police said. Police shot and wounded the suspect after he threatened to also shoot officers who arrived at the scene in the village of Daillon, said a police chief. The gunman was then arrested. The chief said the suspect was using a military rifle that was once standard issue in the Swiss army during the first half of the 20th century.

A police rep said the shooter lived in Daillon, and the motive for the shooting was not clear. A prosecutor said the shooter—who was not identified—knew several of the victims, but "he was not known for making threats." He was unemployed and had been receiving psychiatric care since at least 2005, when he was first admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and was under the care of an agency that provides services and counseling to the disabled, she said. It wasn't immediately clear how the shooter obtained his weapons, but the rifle is popularly sold in military surplus markets. Click through for the full story. (More Switzerland stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X