Published: Just now
The 27-year-old went to Haninge in the belief that he would meet a friend, according to Aftonbladet’s information.
Once there, he was shot to death with several shots to the head.
After the murder, fireworks were set off in the sky in his hometown of Östberga.
The murder of the 27-year-old, one of the leading figures in the Östberga network, was the 47th fatal shooting in Sweden this year.
Just as in many of the shootings that affect Sweden, the motive is believed to be a settlement between criminal networks.
Precisely in Östberga in southern Stockholm, one of Sweden’s longest-running and bloodiest conflicts has been going on since 2013, and the 27-year-old has long been one of the main characters in that particular war.
According to Aftonbladet’s information, the 27-year-old must have gone in a vehicle to Haninge last night in the belief that he was going to meet a friend.
When he gets out of the vehicle, an armed person comes running from a wooded area. The person fires a large number of shots and several of them hit the 27-year-old in the head.
The 27-year-old, who was convicted of his first crime as a 17-year-old and who has since been suspected of involvement in several murders, is pronounced dead at the scene.
Fragmented network
An increasingly common modus operandi when it comes to fatal shootings has been that the victim is tricked into a trap by a person they trust. If that is what happened in this case, or if the shooter simply followed the 27-year-old to the scene of the murder, it is still too early to say.
Although the Östberga network has been in conflict with the rival Bredäng network for many years, a conflict that resulted in several deaths, the police’s main clue is that it is within the former own ranks that the shooter, or those who hired the shooter, are found.
A couple of years ago, the Östberga network was split into two parts.
The 27-year-old chose to put his loyalties on one side, the side where his childhood friends were. He, like many others, has since then lived under a threat image that has repeatedly proven to be real.
Hunted – hours before the shots
Three out of four brothers from the same family, all of whom are close friends of the 27-year-old, have already been killed. The fourth is in prison, and now the 27-year-old is also dead.
And it is there, in the rival phalanx, that the killer, or whoever ordered the murder, is believed to be.
According to Aftonbladet’s information, yesterday’s murder means that the phalanx to which the 27-year-old belonged has now been greatly depleted of older, “more experienced” members.
The 27-year-old has admitted in previous police investigations that he fears for his life. He has stated that he tries to avoid having fixed routines for fear of being mapped but that he does not know where the threat comes from.
Whether he himself was aware that the threat against him had increased during Thursday is unclear, but just hours before the 27-year-old was shot to death, he must have acted very anxiously, according to Aftonbladet’s information.
He was then a passenger in a car that was being chased by a civilian police car in Skärholmen. The chase resulted in them crashing into another vehicle. The driver was arrested for, among other things, gross negligence in traffic, but the 27-year-old was allowed to go as he was only a passenger.
“So many murders”
No one knows yet whether the murder in Haninge will trigger another act of revenge, but for nine years shootings between – and within – the networks have been answered with more shootings.
For the same reason, the police have chosen to gather extra strength to break the spiral of violence, says Åsa Hansson, head of the police department for serious crimes in Stockholm South.
– The local police area here is working very hard now to prevent new shootings. It is our priority one, our biggest priority, which we work very hard on, she says.
– We have had so many murders so we feel that we have to break this bad trend and work hard to reduce the number of shootings, she says.
The shooter at large
Three people who were at the scene of the murder were taken in for questioning, but no one has been charged with a crime.
However, the police have called in extra resources to solve the murder.
– The staff works hard to achieve success. We will put our full focus on this this weekend and continue to work hard, we are very keen to clear this up. That’s why we put a lot of resources into this matter, says Åsa Hansson.
A security effort has also been started in Haninge municipality and the police are asking for tips from the public.
– We will be there during the weekend. If someone has made observations and has not spoken to the police, we want them to get in touch on 114 14 and the police on site, says Mats Eriksson, police spokesperson.