Suspect arrested after two people shot dead in Swiss town of Sion

BERLIN: Two people were killed and one was wounded as a gunman opened fire at two locations in a southern Swiss town on Monday (Dec 11) and then fled, police said. The suspect was arrested on Monday afternoon.

Authorities were alerted to a wounded person in a parking lot in Sion, the capital of the Valais canton at 7:15 a.m., police said. They found a 34-year-old woman with a fatal gunshot wound. A 41-year-old man was shot and killed a few minutes later and a 49-year-old woman was wounded. The two victims and the wounded woman were all from the Valais region, police said.

SUSPECT KNEW VICTIMS

Earlier, police launched a manhunt and issued an appeal for people to come forward with any information on a 36-year-old believed to be the gunman. They warned that the suspect, who could be on the run in his locally registered convertible, may be armed and dangerous and that people should not approach him.

The man was eventually caught by police in the St. Leonard region, according to a police statement. They said that he appears to have known his victims, but did not give further details. They did not say what motive he might have had.

Local prosecutors have opened a murder investigation.