A fourteen year-old has shot six bystanders in central Sweden, including a minor, in what prosecutors are calling a “suspected gang conflict”.
“It’s a suspected gang conflict, but a probable mistaken shooting,” said prosecutor Fredrik Inglund. He added it was too early for further speculation.
“I don’t want to say anything about the motive, but we have a relatively good picture of what has happened,” said Karin Wessén, head of the police’s criminal investigation department.
The shooting attack saw six youths injured, mostly in their 20s and 30s, with at least one minor under 18. Several victims required hospitalisation, said police.
On October 4 at around 2 a.m., the youth opened fire on a busy street in the Swedish city of Gävle, lined with bars, restaurants, and shops many of which were approaching closing time.
Local police arrested the young suspect near the scene, and recovered a firearm.
The fourteen year-old now faces six counts of attempted murder as well as a serious weapons offence. He has reported ties to criminal gangs, who are known for recruiting youths for violent crimes.
The gangs thus aim to exploit Sweden’s age of criminal responsibility, which the law places at 15 years.
Sweden has seen a rise of violent crime by drug gangs, largely dominated by migrants.
Swedish officials condemned the act’s “extreme recklessness”.
“It’s a ruthlessness that goes beyond what we’re used to in Sweden,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told the media.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer expressed sympathy for victims and locals feeling insecure after such “dark and ruthless violence”.
Kristersson called the crime “heinous”, and visited the site on October 6 with Strömmer to discuss with police and community leaders how they could prevent such attacks in the future.
Sweden’s age of adult criminal responsibility could be lowered, the politicians said.
“A lot of measures will be needed for us to have the toolbox we require,” Strömmer said.
This incident is only one of an increasing number of violent gun crimes in Sweden, where gun violence has risen rapidly.
Fatal shootings have doubled since 2013. Sweden’s centre-right government has already proposed granting police powers to wiretap and monitor children under 15, to combat gang violence in an area where many argue the state has lost control.
🚨 Shooting in Gävle, Sweden:
6 young adults, many 15-18, shot on nightlife street at 2 a.m.
A 14yo boy arrested for attempted murder. Victims hospitalized, none critical. Chaos as crowds fled; witnesses describe blood, panic, and heroic first responders. #Gävle trends with… pic.twitter.com/2CsjV5WAUu
— Culture War Report (@CultureWar2020) October 4, 2025
