Three deaths in less than 12 hours
Escalating violence in Sweden: September “deadliest month” in years
Damaged homes after an explosion near the city of Uppsala in Sweden. A woman was killed
© Anders Wiklund/TT / Imago Images
Sweden continues to experience serious gang violence: three people were killed in less than twelve hours, two died from gunfire. According to the media, September is the “deadliest month” in four years.
The spiral of deadly gang violence Sweden continues to turn – and there is no end in sight. Since Wednesday evening alone, three people have died in gunshots and an explosion within 12 hours. The country’s justice minister said the “last 24 hours are the worst thing you can imagine in an open, free society.”
The first fatal shots were fired in southwest Stockholm around 6:40 p.m. Police received a report that a man had been fatally injured by gunfire. A manhunt has been launched for the suspected perpetrators; the police are looking for a gray Toyota and are investigating murder.
Like the newspaper “Expresses” reported that the man was shot on a sports field. The victim is said to be a “well-known rapper in his late teens.” According to the newspaper, the crime was filmed and the editorial team has a video. The dead man is said to have connections to the gang environment.
Shots on sports field: rapper killed
According to “Expressen”, the sports field is used a lot. “As far as I know, there were people there. I don’t know how many people (…) – whether they were training sessions with young people, children or adults. But I know that people were there,” said Mats Eriksson, press spokesman for Stockholm Police.
The newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” reported, citing an eyewitness, that children and young people were training on the field at the time of the shooting. “We heard five shots. Then two little boys ran out shouting ‘shootout’ before everyone in the square ran to the wall.”
Shortly before midnight, Stockholm police were called to another shooting, this time in Jordbro in the south of the city. Officers found two men with gunshot wounds. One of the two died from his injuries and the other was taken to hospital. Here too, the police are investigating murder and attempted murder.
Early this morning, police said three men had been arrested in connection with the crime. They are suspected of being involved in the crime.
Explosion kills young woman
The third deadly attack occurred around 3:45 a.m. Thursday near the city of Uppsala, an hour’s drive north of Stockholm. There was an explosion in a residential area and several houses were damaged. A 25-year-old woman was taken to hospital. She later died and police are investigating her murder. In the morning, the search was successful: two men were arrested on suspicion of murder and serious damage to property. According to the public television station SVT A person with connections to the gang environment is registered at one of the addresses in the exploded district. However, the victim is said to have had no ties to gangs.
The three deaths increase the number of people who have died in violent acts like this in Sweden. SVT reported that eleven people were killed in shootings in September this year alone. It is the deadliest month in terms of gun violence since December 2019.
“It’s not a nice morning to wake up. From a police perspective, we must continue to do everything we can to prevent such events with very catastrophic consequences,” said Magnus Jansson Klarin, spokesman for the Mitt police region, which includes Uppsala. Many of the violent acts are directed against members of criminal networks, Klarin told SVT. It is impossible to keep track.
Government in Sweden wants to combat gang violence
Rampant gang violence has plagued Sweden for years, with shootings and bomb attacks occurring again and again. Both victims and perpetrators are getting younger and younger. The government and police are constantly trying to master the situation with new measures and laws. But so far these attempts have had little success, as last night shows. The liberal-conservative government of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson took up the fight against crime as its mission “political priority” designated.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer described the recent escalation of violence in the past few hours as “deeply tragic”: “The last 24 hours are the worst thing you can imagine in an open and free society,” he told the Channel TV4. He wants to support the police even more. A law is set to come into force on October 1st that will make it easier for investigators to wiretap suspects. “This has been on the police wish list for a long time.”
On Wednesday, the government announced new measures to combat the wave of violence after two other explosions. Among the measures unveiled is a proposal to double minimum sentences for serious weapons offenses, including possession of explosives, from April next year, reported “Expresses”.
Sources: Police Sweden“Expressen”, SVT, “Dagens Nyheter”, Government of Sweden