The attack
On the afternoon of July 3, 2022, a gunman opened fire inside Field's, a large shopping centre in Copenhagen's Ørestad district. Three people were killed: a 46-year-old man, a 17-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy. Other people were shot and additional shoppers were injured while escaping.
Copenhagen Police recorded the active shooting period as beginning around 17:33 and ending with the suspect's arrest at approximately 17:48. This archive does not reproduce weapon specifications or tactical detail because those facts are unnecessary to understand the victims, investigation or legal outcome.
Investigation
The suspect was arrested outside the shopping centre shortly after the attack. Police investigated the shootings as deliberate acts against people in the centre and later prosecutors filed charges covering the three deaths, attempted murders of named victims and attempted murders directed at a larger group.
Authorities did not establish the case as terrorism. Public discussion initially included questions about motive, but the criminal proceedings focused on the defendant's acts, intent and mental state.
Criminal responsibility and mental health
The Copenhagen City Court found the defendant guilty of the charged homicides and attempted homicides. At the same time, the court found that he was legally insane at the time of the offences under Danish criminal law. That distinction matters: he was not acquitted of having committed the acts, but he was exempt from an ordinary punishment and instead subjected to a psychiatric measure.
The judgment therefore should not be summarized as a conventional prison sentence. The court ordered placement at Sikringsafdelingen in Slagelse, a highly secure forensic psychiatric unit, without a maximum end date.
The 2023 judgment
On July 5, 2023, Copenhagen City Court found the 23-year-old defendant guilty of three murders, attempted murder against identified victims, attempted murder against a group of unidentified people, endangerment, threats and weapons offences. Because of the court's finding on his mental condition, he was exempted from punishment under the applicable Danish provision and committed to secure forensic psychiatric care.
Appeal
The defendant accepted the finding that he committed the shootings but appealed the type of psychiatric placement. On December 20, 2023, the Eastern High Court affirmed the secure placement at Sikringsafdelingen without a fixed maximum term. The appellate court changed compensation amounts for some survivors and relatives but did not replace the core disposition.
Timeline
July 3, 2022: three people are killed and others injured during the shooting at Field's in Copenhagen; the suspect is arrested shortly afterward.
March 29, 2023: Copenhagen Police announce formal charges including three murders and multiple attempted murders.
July 5, 2023: Copenhagen City Court finds the defendant guilty and orders indefinite secure psychiatric placement.
July 2023: the defense appeals the type of placement, not the finding that he committed the shootings.
December 20, 2023: the Eastern High Court affirms placement at Sikringsafdelingen without a maximum term.
Current status
The case is solved and adjudicated. The defendant was found guilty of the killings and attempted killings. His legal disposition is indefinite secure psychiatric placement rather than an ordinary prison sentence because of the court's finding that he was legally insane at the time of the offences.