A young man was shot in Sandviken on Friday afternoon, and police confirm links to the criminal gang environment. The incident is being investigated as attempted murder and a serious weapons offense, with no arrests so far. Police are also examining possible ties to an earlier shooting in Gävle.
The shooting occurred just after 5 p.m. in a villa area of Sandviken. Two young men around 18 years old were targeted, and one was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police assess the incident as linked to the criminal gang environment and describe it as a gang conflict. 'We have been able to identify that there is a link to the criminal environment,' says police spokesperson Stefan Larsson.
The involved parties have some form of relation to each other, and police are working on the theory that the act was targeted at the victims. Larsson does not comment on whether the involved are previously known or if they are from Sandviken or Gävle. The investigation is classified as suspected attempted murder and serious weapons offense, but no one is arrested or suspected. 'We are working feverishly with information gathering to investigate it,' Larsson states.
Police are collecting evidence, including surveillance footage from private and public cameras. They are also examining a possible connection to the shooting in central Gävle over two weeks ago, where six people were injured. Larsson says police are looking into links between the incidents.
Despite an ongoing gang conflict leading to shootings in residential areas, police assess no specific danger to the public. 'I understand there is concern among people and it's not about downplaying what happened, but we do not currently assess that there is any particular danger to the public,' says Larsson. Police do not comment on whether they knew of the conflict beforehand or if revenge actions are possible.