Three people have been killed after a shooting in Sweden. A murder investigation has been launched following the incident in the city of Uppsala. Witnesses told local media they heard five shots and saw people in the area running to take cover. Inside Sweden's deadly gang war Image: A police vehicle near the scene of the shooting where several people were injured and three killed in Uppsala. Pic: Reuters/TT News Agency Image: Police officers work the scene of the shooting. Pic: Reuters/ TT News Agency/Fredrik Sandberg Police said it was investigating the shooting as a homicide and that it had no information about whether it was a terror or hate crime-related incident at this point. A spokesperson for the force said it had information someone had left the scene on an electric scooter - it was unclear whether they were a suspect, witness or otherwise. Electric scooters have been used several times as a mode of transport after gang shootings in the country. Uppsala, a city around 70km (43 miles) north of the capital Stockholm, has seen a number of gang-related shootings in the past decade, but usually outside the city centre. In a statement, Swedish justice minister Gunnar Strommer said: "A brutal act of violence has occurred in central Uppsala... this is at the same time as the whole of Uppsala has begun Walpurgis Night. "What has happened is extremely serious." Datawrapper Datawrapper , which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Datawrapper cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the This content is provided by, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enablecookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Datawrapper cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Datawrapper cookies for this session only. Enable Cookies Allow Cookies Once The shooting took place on the eve of the Walpurgis spring festival in the city. Local media reported that the attack took place near or in a hairdresser's. In February, 10 people were killed in the city of Orebro in the country's deadliest ever mass shooting after a 35-year-old opened fire in an adult learning centre. Read more from Sky News: Deaths linked to Spain-Portugal blackout Student rescued from mountain twice Kim Kardashian to testify in armed robbery trial Follow The World Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday Tap to follow Sweden's right-wing government came to power in 2022, promising to tackle gang-related violence. It has tightened laws and given more powers to police and after the Orebro shooting it vowed to tighten gun laws as well.