Shooting death in Norrköping – linked to gang crime

Details: Linked to gang crime

NORRKÖPING. Two men have been shot dead in an apartment in Hageby.

Several residents say they heard the shots last night.

– The whole residential area is affected when something like this has happened. It is very tragic, says Janne, 70.

A large area has been cordoned off at an apartment building in the Hageby district in Norrköping.

A large number of police are on site and residents have gathered in the courtyard to check what has happened. A neighbor holds a large carafe of water which he offers to the police in the stifling heat.

One of the residents is released from the cordoned off area. He says that he heard something that sounded like gunshots at midnight last night and that it came from a neighbor’s residence.

– At first I thought I must have heard wrong, because it felt so strange when it came so close. It came from an apartment next door. But then I realized that it must have been real gunshots that I heard, he says.

After that, a suspected perpetrator, a man in his 20s, is said to have been seen fleeing the scene, according to Aftonbladet’s sources.

Details: Suspect murder weapon found

When the police arrived here last night, two men were found shot to death in an apartment. According to information to Aftonbladet, however, there were circumstances that made it difficult for the police to identify them.

Shortly after the shooting took place, the suspected shooter was found on an electric scooter.

A short distance away, an automatic weapon was also found.

– You find the weapon where the arrested person says it is, says a source to Aftonbladet.

“Very tragic”

Janne, 70, says he has lived here since 1988. He didn’t notice the shots or the drag here last night, but early this morning he heard what had happened while listening to the radio.

– Then I checked out and saw that there were roadblocks and lots of police here, he says.

– The whole residential area is affected when something like this has happened. It is very tragic.

For his own part, he feels safe here, but he says he can sense a concern for the children and young people who move around the area.

– Sometimes you can see how open drug dealing takes place here. They usually take place on the benches here, he says, and points.

Several shooting deaths this year alone

Earlier this spring, shots were fired at a gate to an apartment building that is just a stone’s throw from the night’s shooting.

Joakim, 60, lives in a nearby apartment building.

– I’ve lived here since 1990. There’s a lot going on here, and sometimes you wonder why I’m still living. But I think it is important that you have civil courage if something were to happen, he says.

In April, a 16-year-old boy was shot dead in Norrköping. After that, many youths have expressed a concern here.

Among other things, because there are rumors that shootings that have taken place in the city are linked to various so-called “death lists”.

– You have heard of these lists that are circulating. You are no longer surprised when there is a shooting, even if you think it is very horrible and tragic, says a man who lives here.

Details: Told in interrogation

During the morning, the suspected shooter was arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder and aggravated weapons offences. However, the police do not want to comment on whether the weapon is connected to the night’s incident.

According to information to Aftonbladet, the man denies any crime. When he was arrested, the 20-year-old allegedly stated that he witnessed the shooting and then left the scene.

The address has previously figured in investigations linked to gang crime, but the suspect is from another municipality, according to information to Aftonbladet.

The police do not want to comment on the information further, but say that they are investigating whether the incident is connected to the current gang conflict in Norrköping.

– It is of course something we are looking into more closely. We have a complex gang environment here, says Frida Braf, head of the Norrköping local police area.

She also says she can understand if residents feel worried now.

– I understand if you feel worried and insecure, but we are working with a reinforced resource to be able to meet the public’s concerns, she says.