On Christmas Day, a man was found by police in the town of Sandviken shot with critical gunshot injuries, with investigators believing the incident is linked to yet another shooting in the Scandinavian country.
Police were alerted to the shooting by locals at around 6:40 p.m. on Christmas Day and later received information that a man had been found in critical condition after suffering gunshot wounds.
Magnus Jansson Klarin, a police press spokesman, stated that the suspected shooting was believed to be linked to another shooting that took place in the nearby town of Forsbacka. He said the victim of the Christmas Day shooting had to be rushed to a local hospital to treat his life-threatening injuries, broadcaster SVT reports.
As of Monday, police said that no one had been arrested in connection with the shooting, but they asked any witnesses to either of the shootings to come forward with any information they may have.
“It could be if dumped cars were found or if you have seen people at the time of the shooting. We want information from both Sandviken and Forsbacka,” Klarin told the broadcaster.
Police say that the victim of the Christmas Day shooting is still in serious condition but they have been able to briefly speak to him regarding the shooting.
Shootings and gang violence remain a major issue in Sweden, with the country seeing nearly 1,300 shooting incidents since 2018, 169 of which have been fatal.
Of the fatal shootings, one involved a 12-year-old child caught in the crossfire while outside a local McDonald’s last year in Botkyrka.
The main suspect in the shooting was only arrested in December of 2021 and is believed to have links to the “Botkyrka network” organised crime gang and is being charged with 16 other murders and attempted murders by Swedish prosecutors.
In May, a report from the Crime Prevention Council Brå revealed that Sweden has seen a larger increase in gun violence compared to any other European country in recent years.
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