Armed police officers patrol near the Schachen horse racing track in Aarau following a shooting during a rave event near Aarau, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

By The Canadian Press

Shooting at a rave in Switzerland kills 1 and injures 5

Aug 30, 2026 | 12:34 AM

GENEVA (AP) — A shooting at a rave in the northern Swiss canton of Aargau killed one person and left five injured early Sunday, local police and media reported. Police said they are still looking for a suspect.

“The search for the unknown perpetrator is ongoing,” police wrote on X. “Possible motives and the exact circumstances of the crime remain unclear.”

Cantonal police wrote on X that a 22-year-old woman died of injuries at the scene. Four men and one woman, between 24 and 27 years old, were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from minor to severe.

All of the victims are residents of Switzerland, police said. Their names were not released in line with Swiss privacy rules.

Police spokesperson Pascal Wenzel told Swiss public broadcaster SRF that police were alerted around 2:30 a.m. to the shooting in the canton’s capital Aarau, 46 kilometers (29 miles) west of Zurich.

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At the time of the incident, the “Aarau Rave VOL. 7” was taking place at the horse racing track in Aarau’s Schachen district, SRF reported. The fire department cordoned off a large area around the site.

A major police operation was underway and locals were asked to stay away from the area. Police, firefighters and ambulances were on the scene in large numbers. Police in Freiburg, in neighboring Germany, also took part in search efforts for the suspect, the German news agency dpa reported.

Swiss daily Blick reported that visitors of the rave initially mistook the shots for fireworks until somebody shouted “everyone down.”

The newspaper wrote that the shooting took place right after the rave ended. Police later took all remaining visitors to a nearby gym, Blick reported.

Police called on possible witnesses who have video or photos of the incident to share them with police.

Aarau has about 22,300 residents. It is about 30 km (18 miles) south of the German border.

The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

Shooting at a rave in Switzerland kills 1 and injures 5

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