A 12-year-old boy is suspected of murdering a 21-year-old man who was shot dead in a car in Malmö on Friday evening. The boy, not from the city, is said to have traveled there to carry out the act. The investigation continues, but he is not criminally responsible and has been taken into social services care.
On the evening of Friday, December 12, 2025, police were called to Hindby in Malmö shortly after 11 p.m., where a 21-year-old man was found shot in the back seat of a car. The man was taken to the hospital but later died. Police believe the shooting occurred in Oxie, a district east of Malmö, and that the car was driven from there after the incident.
A 12-year-old boy is suspected of the murder and a possible attempted murder, as more people may have been in the car. According to reports to Sydsvenskan, the boy is not from Malmö but traveled there to carry out the act. He has been questioned by police but is not criminally responsible, as the age of criminal responsibility in Sweden is 15. Instead, the prosecutor has initiated an investigation under the Act with Special Provisions on Young Offenders (LUL), and the boy has been taken into social services care. Malmö District Court has appointed legal counsel for him.
"One is horrified, where are we heading? How can they even use such young people?" says Rasem Chebil, operational head at Malmö police, to Expressen. Criminology associate professor Manne Gerell at Malmö University states he is unaware of any completed murder committed by a 12-year-old previously.
The incident sparks debate amid the government's plans to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 for serious crimes like murder. Critics, including the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, police, and the Prosecution Authority, warn it could lead to increased recruitment of even younger children into gang crime. An example is Denmark, which lowered the age to 14 in 2010 but raised it to 15 again after rising youth crime. Jan-Åke Fält, the boy's legal aid, says the investigation is handled like for an adult if the evidence suffices.
Police cordoned off the area for forensic examination, and more people may be involved. The event is linked to ongoing gang conflicts in Malmö.
