'Dangerous' gunman on loose in manhunt after two people killed in Switzerland

11 December 2023 , 09:37

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Robin Sebastien, 36, believed to be the gunman. (Image: Valais Police)

A "dangerous" gunman is on the loose after he shot dead two people and injured one more in a usually sleepy Swiss town.

The man opened fire on several people in Sion, the capital of the canton of Valais, shortly before 8 am today for reasons that aren't yet clear, police in Valais canton (state) said in a statement. Multiple shots were fired at the Sarosa painting company in the Ronquoz area, Le Nouvelliste reported but didn't name sources. A man who works nearby also told 20 Minutes he heard several shots at the painting shop shortly before police swiftly cordoned off the area.

Police said they had deployed officers to find the shooter and later issued an appeal with a photo for people to come forward with any information on 36-year-old Robin Sebastien - believed to be the gunman. They warned people that "this person is dangerous" and they shouldn't approach him. They said that he appears to have known his victims, but didn't give further details or specify where he opened fire.

Despite Switzerland having very high gun ownership, the country has not had a mass shooting since 2001, when a man stormed the local parliament in Zug, killing 14 people and then himself. The country has about 2 million privately owned guns in a nation of 8.3 million people, but the National Rifle Association says it has one of the lowest murder rates in the world.

The Swiss Federal Police wrote in an earlier statement: "On Monday, December 11, 2023, a person fired several shots at people in two different locations in the city of Sion. On Monday morning, shortly before 8 a.m., a yet-to-be-identified man in Sion shot several people for unknown reasons. Two people died and another was injured. After receiving the report, the Valais cantonal police immediately set up a force to arrest the perpetrator. According to initial findings, the perpetrator knew his victims. The public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into murder as a subsidiary of intentional homicide."

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Rachel Hagan