A 17-year-old boy was shot on Monday evening near a school in Ronna, Södertälje. Shortly after the shooting, police arrested two 14-year-old girls suspected of having different roles in the alleged attempted murder.
The alarm about the shooting came in around 7:30 PM. According to information provided to Expressen, the 17-year-old boy was hit in the stomach and taken by ambulance to the hospital. On Tuesday morning, police reported that his injuries are not life-threatening.
The two teenage girls were arrested shortly after the shooting. One is suspected of attempted murder, while the other is suspected of aiding and abetting attempted murder.
The police were later able to arrest another person who is over 18 years old. This arrest came after investigators conducted a technical examination of the crime scene, reviewed camera footage, and collected witness statements.
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On Tuesday morning, police had finished their work at the crime scene, and the cordons had been removed. The investigation is ongoing to clarify the course of events and the suspects’ roles.
Minister of Justice: “We Are Not There Yet”
Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) describes the shooting as very serious and points out that it remains to be clarified whether the incident is linked to the criminal environment.
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– If it turns out that this is gang-related, it is a reminder that there is no room for society to back down in the fight against gangs, Strömmer told TT and continues:
– There is no doubt that we have been successful in the fight since 2022, shootings have decreased by 80 percent, and that means we’re on the right track. But we are not there yet. Under the surface, there is still the intent to commit new acts of violence.
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The shooting in Södertälje comes at the same time as police and authorities have noted that very young people are increasingly involved in serious violent crimes.
Young Girls in Criminal Environments
Recently, girls in their early teens have drawn attention in several investigations involving shootings and other serious crimes. For example, a 15-year-old girl has been remanded in custody suspected of two murders during the spring – one where a teenager was shot dead in Vårby, south of Stockholm, on March 23, and another where a 15-year-old boy was killed in Malmö a few days later.
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According to previous reports, those cases are connected to Älvsjö in southern Stockholm. Police there have warned that criminal networks are recruiting increasingly younger individuals, including girls. Community police officer Martin Hedman previously described the development in the area to DN.
– We are seeing a cluster of young girls, aged 14-15, he said.
One explanation is that minors, in some cases, can avoid criminal penalties and at the same time be more difficult for police to detect and track.