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Aarau rave shooting
A shooting at a techno rave at the Schachen race track in Aarau, Switzerland, killed 22-year-old Maria Spinelli and left five other people injured early Sunday, prompting a manhunt that Aarau canton police said they were still running nonstop at full speed.
“Spinelli died at the scene, while four men and a woman”
BBC reported that police first received a report of shots fired at the Schachen race track at about 02:30 local time (00:30 GMT) on Sunday, and that Spinelli died at the scene while four men and a woman, aged between 24 and 27, were taken to hospital with injuries ranging from minor to severe.
Police said the investigation into the exact sequence of events, the background, and the possible motive was underway, and that at this time it was assumed that the perpetrator acted alone.
A separate account from ABC News said police were investigating the reason for the attack and that Aargau Canton Police Chief Michael Leupold laid out three hypotheses: a terrorist attack, a rampage shooting, and a criminal incident with a motive still unknown to police at that time.
Meloni, police, and uncertainty
Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni identified the woman who died as Maria Spinelli in a post on X and said, "My thoughts also go to the other injured, including two Italian citizens, and to all the people involved," while also expressing condolences for the death.
At a press briefing, Aargau police spokesperson Bernhard Graser told reporters, "The manhunt is continuing nonstop at full speed," and said police had yet to establish a possible motive.
The BBC said police told reporters that at this time it was assumed the perpetrator acted alone, while other reporting described uncertainty about the number of suspects and the exact circumstances.
ABC News reported that cartridge casings recovered from the scene indicate at least two calibers of ammunition were used, suggesting the presence of a handgun or submachine gun as well as a larger weapon, such as an assault-type rifle.
Manhunt, cordons, and next steps
Police said the shooting occurred at the horse racing track in Aarau’s Schachen district during the "Aarau Rave VOL. 7," and that the fire department cordoned off a large area around the site as officers, firefighters and ambulance crews responded in large numbers.
“Police later took remaining attendees to a nearby gym”
Authorities appealed to witnesses who had photos or videos of the incident to provide them to investigators, and police later took remaining attendees to a nearby gym where many were questioned, according to the reporting.
In a statement on Instagram, Swiss DJ Tekibo wrote that "what happened at Aarauer rave is absolutely heartbreaking" and added that "Techno and raves are supposed to be a place for freedom and safety, never a place where something like this happens," as the search continued.
The New York Times reported that Swiss police were looking for one or more people who killed one woman and wounded five others, and that Col. Michael Leupold said the police were pursuing three possibilities intensively, with all three equally likely based on the current state of the investigation.