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Gothenburg pub shooting

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2015 Gothenburg pub shooting
LocationGothenburg, Sweden
Date19 March 2015
TargetIndiscriminate
Attack type
Mass shooting
WeaponsAutomatic weapons, possibly Kalashnikov rifles
Deaths2
Injured8-15[1][2]

On 19 March 2015, two unidentified gunmen entered a pub in Gothenburg, Sweden and began firing indiscriminately at people inside the restaurant.[1] The pub, Vår Krog & Bar, is located in the Biskopsgården neighbourhood of Gothenburg on Hisingen, an area that has witnessed gang violence.[2]

This shooting marks the first time an innocent bystander has been killed by criminal gang violence in Sweden.[3] The fact that eight bystanders were shot, and a ninth killed, in addition to the gang member who was the target of the shooting, made this shooting unusual.[3][1]

A year after the event, the Göteborgs-Posten newspaper described the shootings up as "one of the most unprecedented crimes of the 2015."[4] Other newspapers characterized it as part of, "a wave of high-profile attacks in Sweden in 2015", and part of "a surge in violent conflict between rival criminal gangs."[5][6]

Shooting

A witness who spoke to journalists for Aftonbladet, said that he saw two people enter the restaurant in Biskopsgården carrying guns that looked like Kalashnikovs, and start shooting.[7] Sky News described the gunman as having "sprayed the pub with bullets".[8][9]

Some early news reports described the shooting as terrorism related, which turned out not to be the case.[10]

Investigation and arrests

The gunmen were believed to have fled the scene after the shooting. Following the shooting police sealed off the area and launched a murder investigation.[1]

Four people have been arrested in connection with the shooting.[11]

Casualties

Petar Petrovic, 20, a Swedish citizen of Serbian origin, who worked at the pub as a DJ and was scheduled start university in London was killed.[3][12]

The other casualty was a 25-year-old who reported to have recently been released from jail and said to be a leading figure in a local gang, called Vårvädersligan after the square where the shootings took place.[3] Another gang member is said to have left the pub just before the shootings.[3]

Several people were reported dead following the attack, with police saying the death toll is expected to rise. Emergency services told newspaper GT that eight people were taken to hospital and two people were confirmed dead.[13]

Motive

The shootings are widely regarded as being probably related to rivalry between immigrant gangs for control of the illegal trade in drug smuggling.[7] Hells Angels, Bandidos Motorcycle Club and gangs made up of members of several immigrant groups reportedly battle for control of the local drug trade.[7]

Police spokeswoman Ulla Brehm was quoted as saying that the attack could have been gang related and was not terror related.[1][2][14]

Aftermath

The events sparked a national debate about gun crime in Sweden's second largest city.[15] The shootings are discussed in the context of Sweden's sharply rising crime rate and growing political tension over the impact of immigration.[3][16][17] According to Associated Press reporter Karl Ritter, the problem of gang violence is exacerbated by the fact that the gangs operate in, "immigrant neighborhoods, where people come from other countries where perhaps they don't have the same trust in their authorities as people in general do in Sweden."[18]

According to The Guardian, "Sweden has been shocked by the barbarity and indiscriminate nature of the Gothenburg shootings... The tragedy has also shone a spotlight on a hidden aspect of Swedish society that reads like the subplot of a Stieg Larsson novel, in which poverty, racism and segregation are driving young men from immigrant backgrounds into gangs and gun crime.”[3]

This crime is part of a recent wave of crimes that, according to Swedish journalist Joakim Palmkvist, play into "the hand of the far right," driving centrist voters to support the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats. [19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "BBC News - Two killed in Swedish restaurant shooting". BBC News. March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Gothenburg pub shooting: Two dead and eight injured after gunmen open fire in busy pub - Mirror Online". Mirror Online. March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Crouch, David (20 March 2015). "Sweden shooting puts focus on life in 'ghettoes without hope'". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Polischefen om 2015: Mitt mest komplicerade år". Goteborgs-Posten. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Stockholm worst Nordic capital for gun crime". The Local. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Four killed in car explosion in Sweden". The Guardian. AP. 13 June 2015. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ a b c "Two killed and more than 10 injured in Swedish pub shooting". The Guardian. Agence France. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Four dead in suspected car bombing in Gothenburg, Sweden". Newstalk. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  9. ^ "Four Killed In Car Blast In Gothenburg". Sky News. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  10. ^ Mikulski, Lisa (19 March 2015). "Update: Hisingen shooting". Goteborg Daily. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Gothenburg shaken by suspected grenade blast". The Local. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  12. ^ Tagesson, Eric (11 April 2015). "Mördarna fortfarande på fri fot". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Sweden shootings: several dead at Gothenburg pub - World News - The Guardian". The Guardian. March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  14. ^ "Man dead after fresh Gothenburg shooting". The Local. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  15. ^ "One injured after fresh shooting in Gothenburg". The Local. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  16. ^ Miller, Michael (11 August 2015). "'Mad' stabbings turn Ikea store in Sweden into a house of horrors". Washington Post. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Gothenburg struggling to stop gang violence". The Local. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  18. ^ Campbell, Bradley (19 March 2015). "Sweden's gang activity isn't reserved for its crime novels". Public Radio International. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  19. ^ Scrutton, Alistair (9 August 2015). "In a port city, grenade attacks shatter Swedish sense of safety". Reuters. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
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