A Swedish youth gang shot and killed a 39-year-old father cycling with his son to the swimming pool in Stockholm suburb Skärholmen on 11 April 2024. The dad was taking his son to the pool. Swedish media quote eye-witnesses reports saying the gang verbally challenged the 39-year old Mikael, and when he said something back they shot him.

According to family members quoted by the Swedish media, Mikael had no links to any criminal activity or gangs, and that he was an outspoken guy. His son called the 112 emergency number, but medical help came too late for his dad.

Next sad low point in the rise of brutal organized crime

The incident marks the next sad low point of the rise of brutal organized crime by gangs from often neighbourhoods with average lower income, often with foreign backgrounds, and often with less possibilities to succeed in the Swedish society.

A brother to Mikael tells Swedish broadcasting company SVT, that he had talked to the police about youth crime in the area before. (Read in Swedish: “Mikael, 39, sköts ihjäl i Skärholmen – framför sin 12-årige son” at SVT.se/Nyheter)

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Third Skärholmen shooting in a month

The shooting of Mikael is the third serious gun incident in the neighbourhood in a little more than a month. A 20-year-old guys was shot and killed in Skärholmen in the beginning of March, and another man was shot and wounded on 13 March.

Recent gun violence in many more places

Since a couple of years there is a serious rise in gun and gang crimes in mostly the southern half of Sweden. Earlier this April two men were shot and killed in two incidents near pre schools in the western Swedish city of Helsingborg. Other shootings took place in Norrköping, Göteborg, Malmö, Uppsala and the Stockholm suburbs Västra Frolunda, Fittja, Bredäng and Tensta in the last 5 weeks alone. In some of those shootings people got killed, in some only front doors and windows were hit.

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Friends and family are hit

Since a year or two Swedish gangs have moved from hitting only the competition to family members and friends related to gang members, including their mothers. Shootings are no longer limited to more challenging areas, like a few years ago, but happen anywhere – including in city centres or normally peaceful residential neighbourhoods.

Recommended read: Attacks inside family homes in Sweden, 3 dead.
Police says more trouble expected at 150 addresses (nordicreporter.com)

62,000 people in Sweden connected to organized crime

The Swedish police is understaffed to tackle the problem, lacking at least 7,000 uniformed police according to Swedish experts. In February Chief of the National Police Petra Lundh estimated that 14,000 people in Sweden are actively involved in organised crime, with another 48,000 people connected one way or another to these criminal networks. The number does not include girlfriends, boyfriends, mums and dads, Lundh said in February. | © 2024 Marcel Burger, nordicreporter.com