A 19-year old Swedish rapper and award-winning artist was killed in a shooting incident in Stockholm. The incident was reported by media on Friday as likely to have been gang-related.
This case shocked the Swedish entertainment industry and highlighted the need to address the growing criminal gang activity within the Nordic country.
According to Ola Osterling, a police spokesperson, Einar was shot several times in Hammarby Sjostad south of central Stockholm. He died there on Thursday.
Police are searching for at least two suspects in the alleged shooting of the rapper.
Although the motive for the shooting is not known, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported the rapper had been threatened in recent times. The newspaper stated that Einar was shot “execution style” from point-blank range.
According to SVT, the shooting of the rapper was gang-related.
Einar, whose real identity is Nils Gronberg was born in Stockholm, rose to fame when his song “Katten i trakten” from his debut album “Forsta klass”, reached the top of the Swedish charts at 16 years old.
In 2019, he won the song-of-the-year award, and a year later, he was awarded the newcomer award of the year. Einar’s songs were downloaded hundreds of thousands times on Spotify.
SVT was told by Stefan Lofven, the Swedish Prime Minister. This is obviously tragic. It’s a young life that has been lost.”
Ebba Busch, leader of Christian Democratic party, posted on Twitter that politicians must take responsibility for dealing gang-related criminality. “We can’t stand up to human dignity and security in the country”
Annie Loof, leader of the Center Party, said that most people are fed up with violence and want to see gang crimes dealt with.
According to the Swedish tabloid Expressen, Einar’s songs dealt with crime including drugs and guns. The rapper was also alleged to have strong connections with local criminal groups. He was seen partying and hanging out with gang members.
Expressen reports that Einar was scheduled to testify next week in a gang case, but Swedish prosecutors previously stated they didn’t anticipate him showing up at court.
SVT stated that the rapper had been convicted of minor drug offenses as well as an assault and illegal driving.
Sweden has experienced an increase in organized crime activity over the last few years. There have been several gang-related shootings in Stockholm, Goteborg, and Malmo.
Two children were shot by unknown criminals in July in a suburb near Stockholm. In August, three people were injured in a shooting that took place in Kristianstad. This incident was connected to gangs.
The Swedish national council for crime prevention reported earlier this year, that fatal shootings in Sweden have increased significantly since 2000. This is primarily due to the violence of organized gangs.
