Thursday. 28.03.2024

 Stockholm police appealed on Monday for witnesses following the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old girl at the weekend outside the Swedish capital.

The shooting in Botkyrka took place near a petrol station. The girl was found injured early Sunday and subsequently died of her injuries.

She was reportedly hit by a stray bullet while out walking her dog, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported,

Palle Nilsson, acting Stockholm regional police chief, said a number of people have been questioned. The shooting was being treated as murder.

No arrests have been made, he told SVT.

The assailants showed "total disregard" for other people's lives, he added.

Nilsson declined to comment on a report in Stockholm tabloid Expresssen that two men with links to a criminal gang were the intended targets.

A white car

In addition to questioning people, police were analysing security camera footage as part of the probe.

Nilsson said police were very interested in information about a white estate car seen at the scene.

The suburbs of Stockholm and other Swedish cities have in recent years experienced a number of shootings and blasts, often related to gang turf wars.

Stockholm police seek witnesses after 12-year-old shot to death