2 killed in a violent shooting of hunting party near Halden in Norway

Two people were shot dead and a third seriously wounded on Sunday morning when a gunman opened fire on a hunting party near Halden in southeastern Norway, police said.

The incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. local time in a wooded area east of Halden, close to the Swedish border and about 100 kilometers south of Oslo. The three victims belonged to the same hunting group. According to police, the two killed were a father in his 70s and his son in his 40s. The injured man was airlifted to hospital for treatment; his condition has been described as serious but stable in some reports.

A man in his 20s was detained at the scene by witnesses and handed over to police when officers arrived. He is not believed to have been a member of the hunting party, though investigators suspect he may have had some connection to the group. He has been charged with murder. Police said he held a weapons license and used a hunting rifle. No other suspects are being sought, and the area was quickly declared safe after a search.

The motive remains unclear, and police have not yet established the exact relationship between the suspect and the victims. Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) is assisting the local police investigation. Technical examinations are underway at the scene, and multiple witnesses are being interviewed. Halden municipality activated a crisis response team to support the victims’ families.

Large numbers of police, ambulances and helicopters responded to the incident. Other details, including the precise sequence of events, were still emerging on Sunday.