Shooting kills father and son during hunting trip near Halden in south-eastern Norway
A man in his 70s and his son were shot dead and a third man was critically injured near the Swedish border on Sunday morning after a gunman opened fire on a hunting party.
Fatal shooting in Halden countryside
Two men were killed and a third person sustained severe injuries after gunfire erupted in a forest area in south-eastern Norway on Sunday morning. The incident took place in the countryside near Halden, a municipality situated near the border with Sweden and between 96 and 120 kilometres south of the capital, Oslo. The victims were members of an organized hunting group that had gathered in the woodland in the early morning hours. According to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, the group was actively consulting on how to organize and execute their hunt when gunfire suddenly struck three of the participants. The two deceased victims were a father in his 70s and his son in his 40s. A third man in his 40s, who was also part of the hunting expedition, sustained serious gunshot wounds.
Police spokesperson Gisle Lindheim Sveen confirmed the casualties following the initial emergency reports from the scene.
Three people were struck by gunfire. Two of them died. The third was seriously injured.
Bystander restraint of the suspect
Emergency dispatchers logged the first alert regarding the shooting at approximately 07:30 on Sunday morning. Immediately following the gunfire, witnesses and bystanders present in the forest intervened before police units arrived at the scene. Members of the group and bystanders managed to physically overpower and immobilize the armed shooter on the ground, preventing any further attacks or escape into the surrounding woodland. Police patrols arrived shortly afterward and formally arrested the individual at the site. Authorities confirmed that the suspect was held continuously by witnesses until officers took him into custody.
Wilhelm Bjolseth, the leader of the responding rescue teams at the location, described the decisive action taken by witnesses.
Witnesses managed to immobilize the suspected perpetrator until the police arrived.
Medical airlift and emergency response
The incident prompted a large emergency and security deployment across the rural area near Halden. Medical personnel delivered on-site care to the surviving hunter before dispatching a rescue helicopter to airlift him to a hospital for specialized treatment. Police units secured the surrounding forest perimeter, established cordons around the scene of the shooting, and began gathering statements from witnesses and the remaining hunters. Investigators conducted initial sweeps of the terrain to recover ballistics evidence and document the exact positions of the hunting party at the time the shots were fired.
- Police receive the initial emergency alert reporting gunfire in the forest near Halden.
- Witnesses overpower and immobilize the armed shooter before law enforcement arrives.
- A rescue helicopter airlifts the critically injured survivor in his 40s to a hospital.
- Officers arrest the suspect, a man in his 20s who was not part of the hunting group.
Police investigation and motive
Norwegian police confirmed that the arrested shooter is a man in his 20s who did not belong to the hunting party. Law enforcement officials stated that investigators have found no known connection between the suspected shooter and the three victims. Police also indicated that the shooter appears to have acted entirely alone, with no evidence suggesting the involvement of accomplices. The motive behind the shooting remains unknown as authorities continue their investigation. Forensic teams and detectives are conducting further interviews with witnesses to determine the full sequence of events leading up to the fatal gunfire.
