Two 19-year-old men are still in custody after the shooting in Farsta.
Both have been known to the police and they have previously been convicted of crimes.
At the same time, over 400 people are in custody for crimes connected to the wave of violence.
15-year-old Elias and 43-year-old photographer Tesfamichal Beraki both fell victim to the fatal shooting in Farsta centrum, southern Stockholm.
Elias was on his way to a fun fair a few subway stations away when he was hit by gunfire just after 6 p.m. Saturday night.
Tesfamichal Beraki was on his way home when he crossed the Farsta center. In order to catch his train, he hastened his steps – but never arrived.
Two more people were injured there when 21 shots were fired.
Two 19-year-old men were arrested less than an hour after the shooting in connection with a massive police chase on the E4, thanks in large part to witness statements from members of the public.
They were arrested and are now in custody for murder and attempted murder, among other things.
Former convicts deny crimes
The men have been known to the police in the past, but not for this type of crime, the police have previously said.
Both suspects have been involved in crime in the past and the same week that the shooting in Farsta occurred, one of the 19-year-olds was charged with minor drug offences.
He is from Södertälje and as a 16-year-old he was convicted of robbery, attempted robbery and assault in a court case together with another person. That person has been identified as a member of the Södertälje network.
The 19-year-old has denied any crime, according to his defense lawyer Mark Safaryan.
– We have appealed the arrest decision and then we have respect for the fact that this investigation will be quite demanding. My client denies any wrongdoing, more than that I do not want to comment with regard to the ongoing preliminary investigation, he says.
The other 19-year-old has denied any crime, his lawyer says. He has previously been convicted of minor drug offences.
Aftonbladet has been in contact with the prosecutor, who does not want to make any comments about the investigation.
No motive image for the shooting is yet known.
Memorial ceremony for victims
The day after the shooting in Farsta, a memorial ceremony was held for 15-year-old Elias.
– He was the world’s finest. He loved his friends, loved his family, loved going to practice, cousin Houda Abbas said in connection with the memorial ceremony.
A memorial service was also held for Tesfamichal Beraki, and in connection with it, his brother told that Beraki had lived in Eskilstuna in recent years.
– He was a driving force for Eskilstuna church. It was a big part of his life. There are a lot of rumors after what happened, but he had no connection to crime, the brother said.
15-year-olds are picked up from football practice
Since Christmas Day 2022, Stockholm has been hit by a wave of violence that has swept across the capital and right now 440 people are in custody in about 40 cases in the Stockohlm region.
At the same time, the police say that they see “an alarming number of young people” who commit crimes.
– We see 11-year-olds who have received mobile phones from drug dealers. 15-year-olds are picked up from soccer practice to shoot someone. We see 14-year-olds with automatic carbines they can barely bear to carry, said Erik Widstrand, deputy regional police chief, in connection with a press meeting.
Right now, the police are carrying out special operations and investments at both regional and national level in the fight against the widespread wave of violence.
Among other things, they have seen a new pattern – parents who get in touch because they are worried about their children.
– We see that parents contact us when they see deviant behaviour. You come home with a new jacket that your parents can’t afford, then you contact us. They contact us if the child hangs out in the wrong circles and doesn’t listen to the parents or runs away, said Erik Widstrand.