Three people were killed in a shooting in Uppsala, Sweden, on Tuesday. The masked assailant escaped on a scooter, and a homicide investigation is underway. The motive remains unclear, and it's unknown if gang violence was involved. Sweden has seen a rise in gun-related crimes in recent years.

Three people were killed on Tuesday in a shooting in the Swedish city of Uppsala, which is located near Stockholm. The incident occurred in Uppsala's city center, just one day before the city was set to celebrate its spring festival, an event that traditionally attracts around 100,000 visitors.

According to police, the attack was carried out by a masked assailant, who managed to escape while riding a scooter.

At this time, authorities have not indicated whether the incident was related to terrorism or a hate crime. Local police have launched a homicide investigation, but the identities of the victims have not yet been revealed. Several media outlets in Sweden reported that the shooting took place near a hair salon.

Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer confirmed that his ministry is in close contact with law enforcement officials. He described the attack as a "brutal act of violence" in central Uppsala, calling it "extremely serious."

Sweden has been grappling with a surge of gang-related violence over the past decade, much of it involving gun violence. Many of the perpetrators of these crimes are often under the age of 15, which is the legal age of criminal responsibility in Sweden. However, police have not yet stated whether the shooting on Tuesday was gang-related.

This latest incident follows a particularly tragic event in February when a 35-year-old lone gunman opened fire at an adult education center in the city of Örebro, killing ten people in Sweden's deadliest-ever mass shooting. Earlier this month, two individuals were killed in a gang-related conflict in Gothenburg, Sweden's second-most populous city.