The wave of violence in Sweden continues with several shootings in the Stockholm area and a suspected aggravated rape in Malmö, southern Sweden.
It has been a dark weekend for Swedish safety. Several serious violent crimes have shaken many cities in less than 48 hours. Police have responded across the country, but many perpetrators have not yet been apprehended and residents report growing concerns.
Shootings in Stockholm County
Rinkeby
Late Saturday evening, a man in his mid-twenties was found shot outdoors in Rinkeby, a suburb of Stockholm. Police were alerted shortly after 9:30 PM and dispatched numerous resources to the scene. The search for the perpetrator is ongoing.
In the police press release, it was stated that the extent of the shooting victim's injuries is unclear and that the person has not yet been identified. Simultaneously, extensive operations connected to the incident were conducted throughout the police region.
– It's a broad search across large parts of Stockholm. We're searching in several different ways, including through regular patrols, information gathering, witness statements, and by reviewing surveillance cameras, said Daniel Wikdahl, press spokesman for the Stockholm region, during Saturday evening.
Södertälje
On the evening of October 24, a shooting was reported in Fornhöjden, Södertälje, a city south of Stockholm. Two people were hit near a car, and one of them later died at the scene. Two people were arrested in connection with the incident.
Police immediately initiated a preliminary investigation for attempted murder and are seeking witnesses. The alarm came at 9:23 PM, and several people heard shots. The area was cordoned off and a major operation was launched to find suspects and secure evidence.
– Several people have been arrested suspected of murder, says police press spokesman Nadya Norton.
Suspected outdoor rape in Malmö
An 18-year-old woman is suspected to have been subjected to rape in Pildammsparken in Malmö during Friday evening. The woman contacted police and reported that she felt she was being followed.
When police arrived at the scene, suspicions arose that the woman had been subjected to aggravated rape.
– There is no information that the suspected perpetrator is someone known to her – this is a stranger rape, says police press spokesman Evelina Olsson.
No suspect has yet been apprehended.
New shooting in Gävle - attempted murder in Finspång
Gävle / Brynäs
During Friday evening, several people were shot in the Brynäs district of Gävle, a city in central Sweden. A young man in his late teens has died and another was seriously injured. The incident is classified by police as murder/manslaughter and a large area was quickly cordoned off for technical examination.
– Relatives have been notified and another person is being treated in hospital with serious injuries, police press spokesman Magnus Jansson Klarin in a comment to tax-funded SVT (Swedish public broadcaster).
Saturday's shooting comes only three weeks after Gävle was hit by a mass shooting where six people were struck by bullets. No one sustained life-threatening injuries at that time.
Police are now investigating whether there are connections between the two shootings and see clear concerns about gang-related crime in the area.
– It's no news that there is a conflict situation right now in Gävle given recent events. That something more could happen is not entirely unthinkable either, says Magnus Jansson Klarin.
Finspång
A 45-year-old man was seriously injured in a fight at a restaurant in Finspång, a town in southeastern Sweden, during Friday evening. The man was taken to hospital after being stabbed with a sharp object. Police are handling the case as suspected attempted murder.
The suspected perpetrator is still at large, while police report that two people have been arrested suspected of harboring a criminal.
The wave of violence
The weekend's wave of violence, particularly the shootings in Stockholm and Gävle, underscores a worrying trend of escalating violence in populated residential areas. Several are linked to suspected gang crime.
Despite extensive police operations, arrests are lacking in several cases. It is clear that the threat to Swedish safety is not concentrated in one place but is spreading across several regions.
