The case stems from a fatal shooting in Malmo on December 12, when a 21-year-old man was killed while riding in the back seat of an Audi in the Oxie area of the city.
Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that the child suspect is believed to have mistakenly shot the victim, intending to target someone else in the vehicle, the Daily Mail reports.
Police were alerted to the shooting shortly before 11 pm after the car was driven into central Malmo and abandoned on a residential street in Hindby. The victim was transported to hospital but was pronounced dead soon after. Authorities say the other passengers later contacted a third party, who then notified police of the shooting.
Investigators identified the 12-year-old as the prime suspect following a murder probe, according to Sydsvenskan. Because the child is below Sweden’s age of criminal responsibility, he has been placed into care. Prosecutor Caroline Carlquist nonetheless moved to initiate legal proceedings due to the seriousness of the alleged crime.
The suspect, who is from central Sweden, had reportedly been offered several assassination jobs and was promised $25,000 for this killing, Expressen reported. Court documents cited by local outlets indicate he previously lived with his grandmother after being placed there by social services at age seven, amid concerns involving his parents, including alleged violence and abuse.
Criminologists say the case is unprecedented. “I am not aware of any completed murder with such a young suspect,” associate professor of criminology Manne Gerell told Sydsvenskan.
Malmo Police investigator Rasem Chebil warned that violent crime in Sweden is increasingly being carried out by minors. “We see that it is creeping down in age,” he said, adding that social media plays a significant role in recruitment. “But before you know it, you're in the clutches of those who recruit you for serious acts of violence.”
Statistics show in 2022, 73 Swedish youths aged 15 to 20 were suspected of murder or attempted murder with firearms, up from just 10 a decade earlier. Reuters reported that 55 people were killed in 363 shootings in Sweden in 2023, far exceeding figures in neighboring Nordic countries.
Author and former lawyer Evin Cetin described the children involved as “child soldiers,” saying they are manipulated by older criminals who exploit their vulnerability and isolation from society.
