Swedish Cop's Home Attacked by Gunmen

Late Saturday evening, one or more unidentified men opened fire with high caliber weapons at the home of a police officer as he slept with his wife and two children in the town of Västerås. Nobody was injured. One 20-year-old man is being held for questioning. The below article was translator by me from Boras Tidning. 

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Photo: Per Groth / TT

-Boras Tidning

http://www.bt.se/nyheter/ung-man-anhallen-for-polisskott/

Young man in custody for shooting at police residence in Västerås

A 20-year-old man is in custody on suspicion for the shooting at a police officer's residence in Västerås.

At least 12 shots pierced through the front door of the home where a policeman  and his family were sleeping.

Prosecutor Anne Sjöblom decided to arrest that man at 20.43 after a hearing in the evening. The man is arrested as reasonably suspected, the lower suspicion, for attempted murder, declares the police to TT.

According to the police, a second person held for interrogation earlier in the day has been released, but not dropped from the investigation.

Two adults and two children were in the shot up house and lay asleep during the shooting. The shots were  so powerful that they passed through the property and at least one of the shots hit the property behind, a police source said. This means that other persons were also be at risk. In the door alone could be counted at least twelve bullet holes.

- There is a great devastation in the house. There are a lot of  high caliber cartridges that are outside, "says regional police chief Carin Götblad at a press conference, explaining the night's events and the police work.

The police do not want to say what position the concerned police officer has in the (organization).

"But this is a  average, capable police officer that has been exposed. It is extremely serious. It's clear that nobody should experience this,"  she says.

She does not want to comment on the type of weapon that was used before the technical examination is completed.

"It's a high caliber weapon, it could be an automatic weapon," she says.

Götblad also does not want to confirm the information that a bullet entered the house behind the shot up villa.

"There is such information, we do not confirm it in this situation, but it's great devastation and heavy ammunition," she says.

According to Götblad, the family is now "not at all good" and everyone was home when the deed took place.

- They are getting all the support that may be needed.

According to the source of the TT, the police are currently working on the theory that the act was directed at the police authority as a result of the police's targeted work against  serious crime in the region.

"We assume that it is an attack directed at the police and our activity. Then we try to take the measures that we think are important so that this can not happen again. We are also working to secure the working environment for our workers, "said Police Area Manager Robert Wallén to TT.

"The starting point at the moment is that we will seize the perpetrator or the perpetrators who have committed this crime.

The police will have a greater presence in society because the incident also raises concern among residents in Västerås.

- I woke up because there was a rattling noise, but then it was quiet. It lasted  quite some time, says neighbor Kinda to TT.

- I checked all the windows and looked at the kids, but did not see anything. So I thought it was nothing.

An elderly lady who lives near the shot up house woke up because of the bangs.

"But I did not think it was a shot. I got up, but then let it go and woke up when the police knocked on the door, "she told TT.

Like almost all neighbors, TT spoke to, she did not want to give her name.

- I think it's terrible. This is such a calm and  nice area.

The police are now working intensively on the case and in the puzzle laying there is information acquired that has been of interest earlier. According to SVT Västmanland, seizures (clues) have also been made there.

"We have secured certain clues and made several seizures on the spot. That we can't go into, "Says police spokesman Daniel Wikdahl to SVT.

Police authorities have also entered the state of residence as a result of the incident, which is classified as attempted murder or attempted manslaughter.

No one has been arrested for the crime, but two people have been held for questioning.

"It is part of the intensive investigation work currently under way and we can not  say more on that," says Anders Hedström, president of the police in the region Mitt.

According to the police district manager Robert Wallén, therehas been  no concrete threat or a specific threat to the affected policeman.

TT: Are you targeting criminal groups in the investigation work?

"We work, as you usually say, broadly. We have a good picture of the serious organized crime in Västerås, but also in the rest of the country.

"It can be noted that this is a very serious crime and that it is a highly violent to shoot with a high caliber weapon. It does not matter who it is, "Wallen says.

The prosecutor has been informed of the event and the family is being taken care of in a protected place.

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Hours after this incident I happened to be speaking with a Swedish acqauintance via Skype. Though he had no details, he informed me that Västerås has a large immigrant community and that most criminal gangs in Sweden are made up of immigrants. He surmised that will almost certainly be the case here, but as yet, police have released no names. We shall see.