SAA event in Halmstad, Östergård area, Sweden on Wed 18th March 2026

A man in his 20s is seriously injured and being treated in hospital after a shooting in Halmstad on Wednesday afternoon. The man's condition is described as critical but stable.

The alarm came at 1:30 p.m. from the Östergård area. According to the hospital, the man is being treated for gunshot wounds and is in serious condition. Two people were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and aggravated weapons offenses. The people were arrested later in the evening.

The injured man was found in a stairwell, according to police.

The two suspects are aged 20 and 35 respectively.

The police knocked on the door and a large area was cordoned off during the afternoon and evening, but the cordon has now been lifted. The man's injuries were unchanged on Thursday morning, according to police information.

– There is a lot of evidence that the man was shot. We have not yet found any weapon, said Fredrik Svedemyr, press spokesperson for the West Police Region, initially.

At 6:15 p.m. in the evening, the police announced that the technical evidence could establish that a shooting had taken place.

Preschool locked the doors

There are schools and preschools in the area where precautionary measures have been taken and vigilance has been urged.

– No decision has been made about sheltering, but the preschool has taken the children in on the principal's decision and locked the doors, the municipality's security coordinator Daniel Ljungberg told SVT this afternoon.