1 Dead in shooting at Swedish shopping center
Copenhagen, Aug 19 (EFE).- One person is dead and another remains hospitalized after a shooting Friday at a shopping center in the southern Swedish city of Malmö, police said, attributing the violence to a dispute between rival groups of criminals.
A man and a woman were taken to a hospital, where the man later died, “succumbing to his injuries,” according to a statement on the police website.
Police said they had a teenage suspect in custody.
Describing the violence at the Emporia shopping center as an “isolated incident linked to criminal circles,” police spokesperson Evelina Olsson told SVT television that the shooting had no connection with terrorism.
The score of gunshots that rang out shortly after 5:00 pm at one of the largest shopping centers in Scandinavia spurred panic, and many people dashed into stores and bathrooms to hide Police responded in force, cordoning off the site and suspending service at a nearby rail station.
Most of the 44 homicides that have taken place in Sweden since the start of the year resulted from gang activity, police say, and polls show gang violence is a major concern for voters heading into next month’s elections.
Boasting some 200 shops and restaurants, the Emporia is located in Sweden’s third-largest city, which is about 30 minutes by train from Copenhagen.
A shopping center in the Danish capital was the scene in June of a shooting that left three people dead and seven wounded.
Authorities in Denmark said that the alleged shooter, a 22-year-old man, acted alone. EFE alc/dr
