At least one person was killed and five others injured, several of them seriously, after multiple shots were fired during an event at a horse racing track in Schachen, Aarau, Switzerland, early Sunday morning, triggering a major police operation in the area.
The Aargau cantonal police advised residents and visitors to avoid the Aarau Schachen area as emergency services responded to the incident. Police said a manhunt was underway and appealed to the public to provide any photos or videos related to the shooting. Swiss tabloid Blick reported that the gunfire occurred during a rave party at the hippodrome.
In a post on X, the Aargau cantonal police said, “Aarau: Nighttime shots at event in Schachen. Several victims. Major police operation underway. Stay away from the area. More info to follow.”
The incident took place shortly after 2:30 am local time while a large crowd was attending an event at the horse racing track. Local newspaper Blick reported that the shooting occurred during an event known as the “Aarau Rave”.
Locals heard the gunshot
A video obtained by Blick appeared to record the sound of several gunshots at around 2:35 am. However, the authenticity of the footage could not be independently verified.
Vanessa Rumpold, a media spokesperson for the Aargau Cantonal Police, confirmed to Blick that the incident occurred at the horse racing track.
“It is not yet clear what exactly happened,” Rumpold said, adding that police could so far confirm only that “several shots [were] fired at a large group of people”.
Blick also reported an account of the incident based on a woman’s statement that a friend who witnessed the shooting contacted her at around 4 am and recounted what had happened.
According to the account cited by Blick, people attending the event initially believed the loud bangs were fireworks after noticing sparks on the ceiling. The situation escalated when someone shouted, “Everyone down!”, leading people to seek shelter beneath the DJ booth.
The woman reportedly said that a friend of her companion later came out of hiding and tried to resuscitate a woman found lying on the ground, but was unable to revive her.
The account further claimed that there were four alleged perpetrators, of whom three were reportedly dead, while seven people were injured. However, these claims have not been independently verified and have not been confirmed by police.
Authorities have not yet provided any details about a possible suspect, the motive behind the shooting or whether anyone has been detained in connection with the incident. The events leading up to the shooting also remain unclear as investigators continue to examine the scene.
