[1] On 14 May, the unions held another rally, during which the attending workers decided to stop all work in the timber and pulp industries in Ådalen—a general strike.

The military commander, Captain Nils Mesterton, said later that he believed the demonstrators carried weapons since he heard shots as well as saw some of the mounted patrol bleeding.

Five people were shot to death: Oskar Berggren, Erik Bergström, Evert Nygren, Sture Larsson and Eira Söderberg, a 20-year-old bystander.

The political left called the shootings "murder", while the right claimed that the military had been forced to open fire to defend themselves and the "willing workers" from the rage of the demonstrators.

Sergeants Rask and Tapper, who were manning the machine gun, were also put on trial since repositioning had been performed with a loaded weapon, which was against army regulations.

[6] The investigation, with representatives from both employers and trade unions, later concluded that the military was highly unfit to uphold public order in similar situations.

[6] The worker's movement, in spite of the various factions being divided on exactly how to place the blame for the occurred, held a common funeral for the four victims at the Gudmunrå church in Kramfors, where Rickard Sandler (himself born in Ådalen) was the official representative for both government and Swedish Social Democratic Party.

Erik Blomberg wrote the poem on the stone: Here rests a Swedish worker fallen in a time of peace unarmed defenceless Fusilladed by bullets unknown The crime was hunger Never forget him

Här vilar en svensk arbetare stupad i fredstid vapenlös värnlös Arkebuserad av okända kulor Brottet var hunger Glöm honom aldrig In 1969, well-known Swedish filmmaker Bo Widerberg told the story of the events in his film Ådalen 31 (released as Adalen Riots in the US).