Published: Less than 40 min ago
Updated: Less than 20 min ago
In the middle of the day, there was a firefight on an open street in a residential area. Shots were fired only a few meters from the police detective, and preschool children had to be taken to safety.
A gang member admitted to shooting, but is now acquitted of attempted murder because he only acted in self-defense. According to the district court.
The police spied on a group that was moving in the area of Vivalla in Örebro. It was the middle of the day in the residential area and nearby the children were playing at a preschool. Suddenly the shots began to whine. The staff at the preschool quickly brought the children to safety.
It was in the middle of October last year, and shortly after the shooting, a 28-year-old man was arrested, among other things. He has links to organized crime, according to the police.
The man was charged with, among other things, aggravated weapons offense and attempted murder in connection with the shooting. He did admit that he had fired shots, but claimed that he was only defending himself.
“Aimed the gun carefully”
On the day in question, he had been walking by a garage when two people had started shooting at him. He had grabbed a gun, which one of his party was carrying, and fired a shot into the air. He then moved, was shot at again and fired a few more shots – to protect himself. The shots were fired only a few meters from the car where the police detective was sitting.
– He was attacked first and has then responded to the attack with the same means. His objection has always been that he never tried to shoot at anyone, but only fired shots in the air for the purpose of intimidation, says lawyer Emil Olors, who defends the man.
Picture of the 28-year-old’s weapon from the police preliminary investigation. Photo: Polisen The man was arrested during an operation in Vivalla in Örebro. Photo: The police
However, the police detective testified that the 28-year-old “took a kneeling shooting position” and “aimed carefully with the gun before firing”, which the district court takes note of. It is “unjustifiable to shoot with an illegal weapon as NN did”, writes the district court in the recent judgment.
On the other hand, the district court buys that the man acted in an emergency.
– My client is of course satisfied that he is acquitted of attempted murder. The district court shares our view that he was in a situation where he needed to defend himself. He had the right to self-defense – to use the weapon – simply to save his life, says Emil Olors.
In the judgment, the district court writes that the man could not “save his life by acting in a different way, for example by trying to escape, than he did”.
Convicted of serious weapons offences
He is also acquitted of gross unlawful coercion. The police started tracking the 28-year-old after a younger man walked into the police station and reported that he had been forced to commit crimes – such as storing and transporting weapons. It had started with the fact that the younger man had not shown the 28-year-old “respect” and that he had therefore been “fined” 35,000 kroner. However, the 28-year-old had a different version, and said that he only wanted the sum back as it was about a failed arms deal.
In the judgment, the district court writes that the younger man’s “contacts with the police had far-reaching consequences for him and he has been living for a long time under a protected identity without contact with his family”. However, the court considers that words stand against words, and acquits the 28-year-old in that part as well.
However, the 28-year-old is sentenced for, among other things, four cases of serious weapons offences, and the punishment will be four years in prison.
Additional people in the group are convicted of various crimes, but no one has been charged for shooting at the 28-year-old.
Aftonbladet has sought the prosecutor.