ÖREBRO. 32-year-old Elsa Teklay went to Campus Risbergska and never came home again.

Now four children have lost their mother, and a husband has lost his wife.

– She was my whole life, says Simret Tekie.

On Tuesday morning, Elsa Teklay made breakfast and made sure the children got ready for the day. Just like she usually did. Then she dropped the younger ones off at preschool and the oldest at school. Just like she usually did. Then she went to Campus Risbergska. Just like she usually did.

But at lunchtime, life fell apart, and nothing would ever be the same again.

Simret Tekie has lost his wife and his four children their mother.Photo: Pontus Orre

Elsa was one of the victims of suspected mass murderer Rickard Andersson. Now her loved ones are struggling to understand what happened.

– I can't take it, says her husband Simret Tekie, 46.

– Elsa was everything to me. She was hope, light and love. Now it just feels dark.

“He would regret it”

Simret is sitting at a table in the Eritrean church premises in Hovsta, a little over a mile north of Örebro city center. He usually lives in Italy, but traveled to Sweden immediately after he learned what had happened.

Photo: Pontus Orre

In the next room, crowds of people have gathered to mourn Elsa and honor her memory.

“This is how we do it in our culture. When someone needs support, everyone comes to do what they can,” says Deacon Emmanuel Ghebrezghi.

Deacon Emmanuel Ghebrezghi places a comforting hand on Simret Tekie.Photo: Pontus Orre

The congregation is very active. Every weekend there is a church service and Sunday school for the little ones. Elsa Teklay often came here with her children.

“She was a very appreciated person. Everyone liked her very much,” says priest Okubazgih Yemanab.

– If the guy who did this could see how much damage he caused, he would regret it. I'm absolutely sure of that.

"She was hope, light and love. Now it just feels dark," says her husband Simret Tekie.Photo: Pontus Orre

Wanted to become a doctor

Elsa Teklay came to Sweden in 2015. She studied to become a registered nurse at Campus Risbergska. Alongside her studies, she worked at a nursing home and as a contact person in the municipality's LSS operations.

The goal of the double jobs was to earn enough money for her husband, Simret Tekie, to be able to obtain a residence permit in Sweden.

– Previously, she had not had the salary that was required, but now she did. They were waiting for a new decision from the Migration Board, says family friend Yebio Zerezghi.

– Elsa dreamed of studying to be a doctor. She would apply when Simret moved here.

Photo: Pontus Orre

Deacon Emmanuel adds:

– Everyone who goes to Risberska wants to learn and develop. They want to create better lives for themselves, and they want to contribute to society. The killer destroyed all of that. He killed their dreams.

Emmanuel Ghebrezghi, Simret Tekie and priest Okubazgih Yemanab. “We have to help each other to move forward,” says Okubazgih Yemanab.Photo: Pontus Orre

Priest Okubazgih Yemanab believes that joint efforts are needed for society to heal.

– The government and all authorities must prevent and ensure that something like this can never happen again.

– But it is also up to all of us to take responsibility and extend a hand to our fellow human beings. We must help each other to move forward.