The killer was only 14 and had lived in youth homes as a ward of the authorities since he was eight.
A year ago, a gang helped the boy escape, put him up in a hotel and gave him cannabis, food and new clothes. Six days later, gang members told him it was time to repay them for their kindness. They had a job for him.
Together with another youth, the boy, who as a juvenile cannot be identified, shot dead a 33-year-old Hells Angels biker. He was convicted by a court which described the case as a gangland contract killing.
As he was too young to be sentenced, he was handed back to social services and sent to another youth home.
Sweden has long prided itself on one of the world’s most generous social safety nets, with a state that looks after vulnerable people at all stages of life.
But these days it also has another distinction: by far the highest per capita rate of gun violence in the EU. Last year 55 people were shot dead in 363 separate shootings in a country of just 10 million people. By comparison, there were just six fatal shootings in the three other Nordic countries - Norway, Finland and Denmark - combined.
Sweden, which is currently experiencing an outbreak of gum violence, has 62 fatal shootings in 2022. To put that in perspective, adjusted for population, the equivalent would be 2000 shootings in the states.
Actual number of fatal, non-suicide shootings in the states? 20000.
Difference being nobody is going around claiming the US is perfect. You ever talk to a european? They have an inability to admit anything bad happens there, generally, and if it did it was merica’s fault of course.
They have an inability to admit anything bad happens there
Don’t know which Europeans you’ve been talking to, but I live in Europe and we certainly have a lot of complaints to go around.
A lot of them seem to be that way, likely terminally online ones of course.
You seem cool though!
Oh no, plenty bad happens here. Just that when comparing to the problems the US has… Yeah, it’s a good reminder of how well everything works over here, despite the problems.
Of course, plenty of good happens here too, it’s just that it doesn’t fit the “if it bleeds it leads” business model so you never hear about it. Some areas here are just as safe as some areas of europe, some areas of europe are just as unsafe as some areas here.
This may surprise you to learn, but the US is comparable to the size of the entire EU, and as a result there are similar variances in safety between the two.
Er, I mean, US GOOD EUROPE BAD. Did I fill my role correctly there after that silly nuance break?
Can you Yanks just piss the fuck off. There is zero need to make this about you. 62 fatal shootings is a a tragedy with fighting against
