On Sunday, the murdered 15-year-old’s memory was honored at his hometown Farsta. – It feels so strange to have a quiet minute for Elias. Those of us who knew him know that he was not quiet, says his cousin Houda Abbas.
- On Sunday, a memorial service was held in Farsta for a 15-year-old boy, Elias, who died in a shooting incident on Saturday.
- Four people were shot in Farsta, Stockholm, including Elias and his 15-year-old friend who is now in hospital.
- The motive for the shooting is unknown, and two men in their twenties have been arrested after a car chase.
- There have been several shooting incidents around Stockholm and Malmö recently, and last year there was an average of one shooting incident a day in Sweden.
- Swedish politicians want to combat the violence and are working to reverse the trend.
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Four people were shot when a perpetrator shot wildly with a military automatic weapon in the district of Farsta on the outskirts of Stockholm at 6pm on Saturday.
The victims are said to be a 65-year-old woman, a 45-year-old man, and two 15-year-old boys, according to Swedish Aftonbladet’s information. The motive of the perpetrator is unknown.
On the way to the funfair
The 15-year-old who died from his injuries was called Elias, says his cousin Houda Abbas to Aftonbladet. She emphasizes that the 15-year-old cousin was not in a criminal environment.
– It’s the first thing people think of and ask about. He was a very nice boy who was on his way to meet his friends, says Houda Abbas to Aftonbladet.
Elias was with a friend, who was also hit by the shots, and is now in hospital. The two teenagers are said to have been on their way to a fun fair which was just a couple of subway stops away from where they were shot.
The subway station has now become a place of remembrance. On Sunday, the 15-year-old’s portrait is set up at the site together with flowers, lighted candles and stuffed animals.
– Who is next?
A hundred or so people had turned up for the memorial service in the center of Farsta on Sunday afternoon.
– He was the world’s finest. He loved his friends, loved his family, loved working out, Houda Abbas told the crowd.
One of Elias’ friends says he lacks words to describe what has happened.
– We must put an end to this together, everyone must put their foot down together. If we keep going like this, who’s next? says the friend – who is quoted without name – to Aftonbladet during the memorial ceremony.
Daily shootings
Two men in their twenties have been arrested by the police after a car chase that ended in Järna, says Ola Österling, spokesperson for the police in Stockholm on Sunday. The motive for the shooting is unclear, according to the police.
Elias was one of seven people in the Stockholm region who were shot within 20 hours this weekend.
In addition to the four who were shot in Farsta, two young men were shot in Solna, and one in Jordbro on Friday evening.
On the night of Sunday, Sweden was hit by a new shooting episode, when a villa in Malmö was shelled with several shots. There were people in the house, but no one was injured, writes NTB.
Sweden has been hit hard by shooting violence. Last year, there was an average of one shooting incident per day in Sweden. 64 murders were committed with firearms in Sweden last year.
The country’s Minister of Justice, Gunnar Strömmer, is among the many who now want to fight the violence.
– We will do everything in our power to reverse this development, he says.
“As long as they don’t shoot the children”
A mother and father were with their six-year-old daughter when they suddenly found themselves in the middle of the shooting drama in Farsta on Saturday. They tell Aftonbladet that.
– I thought “if only they don’t shoot the children”. Then “run away”, says the woman to Aftonbladet.
The family dodged the bullets and escaped unharmed. But the girl’s black, small slippers were left behind during the flight. When the father went to collect them, the slippers were behind police tape.
Published: 11.06.23 at 21:40
