It was in February last year that the police received an alert that a man had been shot on Skutberget after being kidnapped and beaten.
According to the indictment, the four young men who stood trial must have taken revenge for a shooting at Kronoparken in Karlstad that took place a few days earlier. But the perpetrators made a mistake and kidnapped a person who had nothing to do with the incident.
The victim in Karlstad was subjected to torture
The victim, a man in his 20s, was beaten in “torture-like forms” according to the prosecutor and then shot with three shots in the abdomen and one in the head.
Despite severe injuries, he managed to escape and seek help in the camping area and survived.
The weapon was found by police several months later in a nearby wooded area thanks to a wiretap at the home of one of the defendants.
Cooperated with the police – can get a penalty discount
During the trial, one of the men admitted that he was the one who fired the weapon but denied that the purpose was to kill the victim. The remaining three men deny any crime but admit to parts of the sequence of events.
One of the men has cooperated with the police and told about the incident but omitted his own involvement. But the prosecutor still demanded a certain penalty discount, to four years in prison instead of six years. The man now says he is worried and will have to flee Karlstad, perhaps even the country with fear of reprisals.
Two more men are suspected of the crime, but they are abroad and therefore cannot be prosecuted.
Unclear future for the criminal network
According to the prosecutor, there is no doubt that it is all about a criminally organized network that is behind the shooting.
– No, it’s completely obvious.
What is left of the network now, in your opinion?
– There are plenty of people on the outskirts who give rides and help in various ways, there is no shortage of them. On the other hand, the top layer has either fled abroad or is now facing charges here, we’ll see what happens now, says Stefan Wessberg.