STOCKHOLM, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) — With 60 people killed in shootings in Sweden so far this year, 2022 will be the deadliest year since these statistics were compiled in 2016, Sweden’s Television (SVT) cited police statistics as reporting on Sunday.
– This year we have seen a massive increase, says Magnus Gerell, docent and criminologist at Malmö University, to SVT.
“It is an extremely high number and a very large increase compared to recent years. The development is also driven by the fact that more of the victims (in shootings) die,” says Gerell.
He said the vast majority of shootings took place in a criminal environment, and the approach and demographics of the criminal gangs had changed over the years.
“Today, it’s more common for there to be more than one shooter and more shots being fired. It seems like the killing has become more carefully planned, leading to more deaths,” says Gerell.
“A trend we’ve seen for quite some time is that the victims and the shooters are getting younger and younger. Today, it’s often teenagers who shoot other teenagers.”
He also said that the research showed that the impact on society had become more serious.
The previous record was set in 2020 with 47 deaths, police statistics showed.
Source: sn.dk