Shooting at Aarau rave: Reconstruction of the night of the crime in which Maria S. died
Shots rang out at the rave in Aarau in the early hours of Sunday morning: a 22-year-old Italian woman died, and five other people were injured. A 43-year-old Swiss man was arrested.
Minute by minute: what happened in Aarau on the night of the crime
According to a reconstruction by Blick, this year's rave at Aarau racecourse began at 3 p.m. Hours later, dozens of revellers were still dancing on the dancefloor, with Swiss DJs Tekibo and Pencil performing at 2.27 a.m. Pencil was filmed dancing shirtless on the DJ booth.
Then the music stopped abruptly. Several bursts of gunfire rang out — from outside the festival grounds. Near the parked cars outside, a "shadow" with an assault rifle was spotted. The remaining partygoers initially mistook the shots for fireworks. Only gradually did the crowd grasp the seriousness of the situation. "Get down, there is shooting!" echoed through the venue. Some people hid behind the bar's refrigerator. Verena K. and other women ran up the stairs and fled to the toilets.
At the same time, a bullet struck Maria S. (†22). The Italian woman was hit in the chest and neck and fell to the ground. Several people ventured out of cover and attempted to resuscitate her — to no avail. Maria S. bled to death. Four Swiss nationals and one German national, aged between 24 and 31, were also injured, some seriously. Security responded immediately, opened the emergency exits towards the Aare and evacuated those present.
Only a few minutes after the shots at the rave — between 2.30 and 3 a.m. — another incident occurred at the nearby Traveller encampment. A Traveller who had heard the shots on the Schachen site wanted to flee with others. As the group tried to drive away by car, according to his account to Tele M1, a vehicle stopped in front of them. A person got out and pointed a weapon at the driver. The driver accelerated — a bullet struck the Mercedes G-Class.
According to an eyewitness, it took approximately 20 to 30 minutes for police to arrive at the venue. Around 3 a.m., the women who had hidden in the ladies' toilet were brought out by members of a special unit. Police took the witnesses to a nearby hall for questioning.
At the same time, a major manhunt was launched. The area was cordoned off widely. A Super Puma helicopter from the military took off to support the search for the perpetrator or perpetrators from the air. The perpetrator apparently managed to leave the area under cover of darkness.
Police set up checkpoints in the Aarau region, and search information was sent to all cantonal police forces and German police. In the course of Sunday, officers secured projectiles and ammunition traces from two different types of weapons: pistols and an assault rifle. How many perpetrators fired shots in the area initially remained unclear.
At 5.27 p.m., Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted on X calling for a thorough investigation of the case.
On Sunday evening, Police Commander Michael Leupold explained at a press conference that investigators were pursuing three lines of inquiry: "The first hypothesis is a terrorist attack, the second is a shooting rampage, and the third covers criminal activity with a motivation currently unknown to us — such as a settling of scores within a particular milieu."
On Monday midday, the Aargau cantonal police announced the arrest of a 43-year-old Swiss man, who is under strong suspicion of the crime. The authorities are currently proceeding on the assumption of a single perpetrator. Further information is to be announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
*Name changed by the editorial team.
Source: Blick