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.
A lot of them seem to be that way, likely terminally online ones of course.
You seem cool though!
We get like that around Americans, trying to teach you how to complain about your own country. For some reason, you’re not receptive to that kindness.
Oh I complain about the US a lot, as does everyone here on lemmy and everyone I know IRL, but europeens think they can feel superior for being little middle of the road countries the size of Michigan and forget we’re the size of the whole ass EU meaning that’s the correct comparison, which your “superiority” just doesn’t cover. Sure, NL may be fine, just try to be a black guy in the wrong berlin neighborhood though, I’ve heard some interesting stories about the “totally not nazi” police there. I also hear France is becoming Nazis, and sweden has a lot of gun crime and the occasional grenade attack, we don’t even have those in America lol, certainly sounds like we all have enough problems, but nope, you idiots have to pretend you’re better because deep down you know you’ll never be. Oh well.
I know I know the US totally compares well in terms of police violence and prisoners per capita. To North Korea. It also compares well in terms of gang violence – to Haiti or Mexico.
Meanwhile, Germans consider it a national embarrassment that the Swiss and Japanese have better train systems. All a matter of perspective.
