Two bystanders were injured in what Swedish police believe to be a gang-related assassination attempt on an individual previously targeted for murder.
The shooting, which took place in Nacka in Stockholm county on Sunday evening, saw two people seriously injured including a taxi driver and another person who was inside their apartment at the time of the incident, Aftonbladet reports.
Carolina Paasikivi, police chief of Stockholm South, said the shooting was connected to a previous shooting in Råcksta, another part of Stockholm, on the 30th of August that saw an 18-year-old named Ndella Jack killed, although her husband is said to have been the actual target.
Police say that around 15 shots were fired, many entering nearby apartments and said the men who were targets were likely tricked into coming to the area.
Paasikivi also noted that several prominent gang members had been recently released before the shootings and did not rule out further violence. “Unfortunately, it is retaliation after retaliation until we manage to stop it,” she said.
According to Paasikivi, few of those involved are willing to talk to police and called on the public to help identify the individuals in the shooting.
“Whether they are victims or perpetrators, they do not cooperate with us, they do not talk to us. This means that we are extremely dependent on the public’s help with tips, observations, and testimonies,” she said.
Regional police chief Ulf Johansson described the current situation as serious saying: “The conflict situation in the criminal circles is very serious right now, and the availability of weapons is still high in the region.”
Stockholm has seen 67 shootings so far this year with 20 injured and 15 killed. While the number of overall shootings is slightly down from January to September of 2018, the number of deaths in the same period has increased from six to 14 this year.
The shooting comes only days after famous lawyer Henrik Olsson Lilja was injured after being shot in the head and chest outside a residential building in Stockholm.