Swedish lawyer Henrik Olsson Lilja, who initially represented U.S. rapper A$AP Rocky, was shot in the head and chest after leaving a residential building in Stockholm.
Mr Lilja was shot at around 9am on Friday, according to police, with the lawyer’s aid saying that he was conscious and able to speak when he was driven to Karolinska University Hospital where he remains in stable condition, Sveriges Radio reports.
While many Swedish news outlets simply referred to Lilja as a prominent lawyer, his identity was revealed by the Daily Mail which noted that Lilja represented American rapper A$AP Rocky after he was first taken into custody over an assault.
Lilja was later replaced with another lawyer before the case went to trial where the rapper was found guilty of assaulting an Afghan migrant following a dispute between the migrant and the rapper’s entourage.
Police say they do not believe the shooting of the lawyer is linked to gang crime with Anna Westberg of Stockholm Police stating: “We see this event as an isolated violent crime at present.”
Officials say that one man has been arrested and is looking at charges of attempted murder. Several others have also been taken in for questioning, including a female suspect.
Several theories have been floated by Swedish media on the motivation of the shooting, and Mr Lilja is said to have told police that a person with a prior grievance against him may have hired a hitman or that it may be related to prior cases he worked on.
The shooting comes as Sweden has seen a surge in gun violence over the last several years, with 2018 seeing a record number of fatal shootings. Many, including the King of Sweden, have expressed concerns over the growing trend of violence.
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