Three people have been killed and two injured in a shooting in the Swiss Alpine village of Daillon near Sion in canton Valais, local police have reported. The motive for the attack is unknown and the shooter is in custody.
The man began shooting at fellow villagers with an assault rifle around 9 pm on Wednesday. He is also reported to have threatened the police and members of a special response team sent to the scene.
The three victims died of their injuries at the scene and two other people were taken to hospital.
Some reports say the man was shot by police before being arrested. According to the 20 Minuten newspaper one of the victims was an elderly woman.
The same evening in canton Argau, an armed man who entered a restaurant was overpowered by customers. The 57 year old was carrying a rifle and a handgun and a shot was fired in the altercation.
Under its militia army system, hundreds of thousands of military weapons are kept in Swiss households ready for use in an emergency mobilisation, although according to regulations ammunition is stored in army depots.
Army-issue weapons are said to be involved in the deaths of more than 300 people in Switzerland every year.