Four people were found dead on Saturday evening in the village of Torpo in Hallingdal. The police quickly charged a 59-year-old with murdering his wife and their two children.
They were shot while they were sleeping, and the police do not yet know how it could happen without anyone waking up – because no silencer was used on the firearm.
Now the police are working intensively to map the movements of everyone involved, and not least the suspected perpetrator, in the hours before the murders.
– We are in a process where we obtain answers to all movements in advance, and also the days before, says police attorney Ann Irene Svane Mathiassen.
Checking all cameras
The accused was at work as usual on Friday. The police do not want to say anything about what he did or where he was after that. They are working on mapping digital traces, while also talking to witnesses.
– We check all digital traces and fingerprints, whether it is a mobile phone, computer or bank accounts. Absolutely everything is reviewed. The same applies to video cameras in the area, says Mathiassen.
Which means petrol stations and shops. This is also time-sensitive, in the sense that the recordings can be deleted if they are not retrieved quickly enough.
The digital traces of the victims are equally important. There may be things there, and all technological devices the victims had are also reviewed.
Why didn’t anyone wake up?
Signe (18), Sander (22) and Ingunn (53) were killed on the night of Saturday, they were shot while they were sleeping.
Father and husband are charged. According to the police, he took his own life.
The police will for now say little about the motive here, but confirmed on Wednesday that no silencer was used. Why none of the victims woke up during the shooting is still a mystery to the police.
– There was a loud noise when the shots fell, so it is a natural part of the investigation to find out why the victims did not wake up from the shots, says Mathiassen.
While the police are still carrying out technical investigations at the scene, the tactical investigation is ongoing. They talk to family, friends and work colleagues. Those NRK has spoken to do not understand how this could have happened, but for the police a small detail may be important in the puzzle.
– The underlying reasons and a possible motive are an important part of the investigation now, says Mathiassen.
Lots of rumours
On Thursday, there is a mourning service in Torpo, a village with around 400 inhabitants.
There was a lot of uncertainty in the local community at the weekend, before the police came out with the information about what they believe has happened. The rumors were so numerous that both the police and the mayor requested caution.
– When you don’t get the truth early on, and the police of course have to do their investigations, then it quickly happens that people start speculating. They create their own truths, because a kind of vacuum is created, which many people need to fill, said orderly Solveig Vestenfor.
She says that the case is incomprehensible, and something they never thought would affect the local community.
The municipality’s emergency response team has been working since Saturday evening, and welcomes all questions and concerns residents have.
– When such crises arise, and the security that people have in everyday life is suddenly torn up a little, then people need answers. That’s how humans are made.
