2009–10 Malmö shootings

The Malmö shootings were a string of attacks by serial shooter Peter Mangs in the southern Swedish city of Malmö between December 2009 and October 2010.

Shootings

The attacks, carried out with a 9mm Glock 19 handgun, started as early as in December 2009. At the same time, the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old woman in October 2009 has also been linked to the same perpetrator. The woman was the only ethnically Swedish victim, who was in the company of a friend of immigrant origin. This murder has been linked to the other shootings through forensic evidence, showing that the weapon used was the same gun as the one used in several of the other attacks.

The attacks soon spread fear among the substantial immigrant population of Malmö. "Many people are frightened at the moment", said Tahmoures Yassami, the leader of the Iranian-Swedish Association in Malmö, "Especially families who have children." The local police warned against panic, pointing out that the risk for any individual of being shot was very low.[5] At the same time, they cautioned people of ethnic minorities to avoid lonely places after dark, which was when the attacks had been taking place.

Perpetrator

The shooter apparently targeted people of criminal background with dark skin and non-Swedish appearance. As of 23 October 2010, as many as 15 shootings were linked to the same suspect, whom the police had not yet been able to identify. Comparisons were made to the so-called "Laser man", who committed eleven shootings on people of immigrant origin in the Stockholm and Uppsala area in 1991–92, killing one.

On 6 November 2010, Swedish police announced that they had arrested a man they suspected was the shooter. According to Malmö police he is now under suspicion of one murder and seven murder attempts. The man arrested was a 38-year-old Swedish man, Peter Mangs.

Mangs was found guilty on two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder, and given a life sentence. The Malmö Appeals Court denied an attempt by Mangs to overturn his sentence, convicting him of an additional three attempted murders, on April 25, 2013. A further request for appeal was denied by Swedish Supreme Court in June of the same year.

List of suspected shootings

The following shootings have been connected to the same suspect:

1. 10 October 2009 – 20-year-old Trez West Persson is shot and killed while sitting in a car in Västra Skrävlinge Kyrkoväg, near a mosque. Her 21-year-old friend, a convicted drug-smuggler who is dark-skinned, is seriously injured.

2. 23 October 2009 – Several shots are fired against an apartment in Hyacintgatan.

3. 31 December 2009 – Shots are fired against a mosque in Jägersrovägen. No-one is hit, but an imam is injured in the neck by broken glass.

4. 25 January 2010 – A 17-year-old boy is shot in the chest and a 36-year-old man in the leg outside a store in Rasmusgatan. Police suspect the 17-year-old was the target, while the 36-year-old was shot by accident.

5. 12 March 2010 – Shots are fired against a house in Hårds väg. The target is probably the 22-year-old who escaped the attack on 10 October.

6. 16 March 2010 – A 21-year-old and a 22-year-old are attacked at close range while sitting in a car in Professorsgatan. The 21-year-old is hit several times, while the 21-year-old escapes unscathed.

7. 19 June 2010 – Three African men are shot at while exiting a taxi in Regementsgatan. One is hit, but receives only a burn wound.

8. 26 June 2010 – A 30-year-old man is shot through the window of a gym in Vendelfridsgatan. He is hit twice in the back.

9. 27 June 2010 – Only 40 minutes after the previous shooting, a 29-year-old is shot in the shoulder while sitting in a car in Munkhättegatan.

10. 24 August 2010 – A fast food restaurant in Köpenhamnsvägen is shot at. The bullet goes straight through the building and hits a car at the other side, but no-one is hit. The owner claims to have seen a laser light immediately before the shot was fired.

11. 25 September 2010 – A 31-year-old man receives a flesh wound to the head when he is shot outside of the university hospital.

12. 10 October 2010 – A 47-year-old man is shot in the stomach at the bus stop by the intersection of Lönngatan and Norra Grängesbergsgatan. The bullet goes through his body, but the injuries are not serious.

13. 19 October 2010 – In an incident similar to the one of 10 October, a 28-year-old man is shot in the back at close range while waiting for the bus by Eriksfältsgatan. The bullet pierces the victim's lung, leaving serious damage.

14. 21 October 2010 – A 16-year-old boy is fired at by Hermodalstorget, but he is not hit.

15. 21 October 2010 – On the same night, two women are shot through a window in Kroksbäck.

Wikipedia.org

Supreme Court denies 'Malmö sniper' appeal

TheLocal.se

June 25, 2013

Convicted murderer Peter Mangs had his attempt to overturn his life sentence quashed on Tuesday after the Supreme Court (Högsta domstolen) refused him leave to appeal.

Mangs was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for two murders and five attempted murders. In April 2013 he was convicted of another three attempted murders by the Malmö appeals court (hovrätten).

Mangs' lawyers had based their application to the Supreme Court on weapons analyses, which tied Mangs' weapon and bullets to the crime scenes.

The so-called Malmö sniper wanted the analysis to be repeated by technicians not previously engaged in the case.

The ruling in Sweden's highest court puts a final end to what Malmö residents called a period of terror as an unknown gunman targeted mostly foreign-born victims in the southern city with a Glock 19 pistol.

Mangs was arrested in November 2010 after a string of shootings that took place in Malmö against people of immigrant origin.

He was charged with killing two men of immigrant origin, aged 23 and 66, in 2003 and a 20-year-old Swedish woman who had been sitting in a car with an immigrant man in 2009.

He was also charged with a slew of attempted murders in which he fired numerous shots with his Glock 19 pistol at homes, businesses and cars as well as out in the open, seriously injuring a number of people and coming close to killing many others.

Life in prison for Malmö sniper Peter Mangs

TheLocal.se

November 23, 2012

Serial sniper Peter Mangs was sentenced to life in prison by the Malmö District Court on Friday for murder and attempted murder.

He was sentenced for two murders, five attempted murders and three cases of making aggravated illegal threats. He has been ordered to pay damages of over 1.1 million kronor ($165,000).

According to the court, Mangs's crimes displayed "extreme recklessness and a complete lack of empathy for other people".

"Based on the forensic psychiatric evidence presented in the case, Peter Mangs didn't suffer from any serious mental illness at the time of the deeds or during examinations. Thus there is no reason to give him special treatment when it comes to his punishment," the court wrote in a statement.

Mangs’s lawyer Jesper Montan was unsurprised by the verdict.

“We’ve known for a long time that Mangs would get a tough penalty,” he told the TT news agency.

Earlier this month, Mangs had accused a lay judge who heard the case of bias and demanded a retrial, but hie request was rejected.

Mangs was arrested in November 2010 after a string of shootings that took place in Malmö against people of immigrant origin.

He was charged with killing two men of immigrant origin, aged 23 and 66, in 2003 and a 20-year-old Swedish woman who had been sitting in a car with an immigrant man in 2009.

He was also charged with 12 attempted murders in which he fired numerous shots with his Glock 19 pistol at homes, businesses and cars as well as out in the open, seriously injuring a number of people and coming close to killing many others.

In July, after a highly publicized trial and a lengthy criminal investigation, the court ruled that he was guilty of 13 of the charges.

Mangs's lawyer told TT his client would have the final say on whether to appeal the verdict, and while no decision had yet been taken, he assumed Mangs would likely launch an appeal.

Meanwhile, residents of Malmö welcomed the verdict for a man who had terrorized their city for years before his arrest.

"It was a frightening time when Mangs was at large particularly for women. I spoke about it a lot with my family," Stefan Eldevall, 39, told The Local.

"When he was caught it was a big relief...now he has been given life which, to be honest, is the only obvious sentence."

Malmö sniper Peter Mangs 'not mentally ill'

TheLocal.se

September 26, 2012

Convicted serial killer Peter Mangs does not suffer from a mental disorder, a forensic psychiatric evaluation report revealed on Wednesday.

The forensic psychiatrist in charge of the evaluation made the assessment that "Peter Mangs didn't commit these actions under the influence of a serious psychiatric disorder", said Malmö District Court in a statement.

Mangs wasn’t suffering from mental problems at the time of the assessment either, judged the psychiatrist. Therefore there “is no reason to hand Peter Mangs over to psychiatric care”.

Mang’s sentence, set to be delivered in October, will be based on the report from the psychiatric evaluation, and is now likely to involve a long time behind bars.

The result of Mang’s mental assessment has dragged out due to the very extensive criminal investigation.

For some time, Mangs was observed 24 hours a day by a forensic psychiatrist, a psychologist, several social workers and health care staff to get to the bottom of his mental health.

Mangs was arrested in November 2010 after a massive manhunt following a string of shootings against people of immigrant origin that gripped Sweden's third largest city with fear.

He was charged with killing two men of immigrant origin, aged 23 and 66, in 2003 and a 20-year-old Swedish woman who had been sitting in a car with an immigrant man in 2009.

He was also charged with 12 attempted murders in which he fired numerous shots with his Glock 19 pistol at homes, businesses and cars as well as out in the open, seriously injuring a number of people and coming close to killing many others.

In July, after a highly publicized trial and a lengthy criminal investigation, the court ruled that he was guilty of 13 of the charges, among these two murders, four attempted murders and three cases of making illegal threats.

Wednesday's decision by the forensic psychiatrist means that the sentencing in October is likely to mean jail time for Mangs. His trial is scheduled to begin again on October 3rd, at which time the findings of the psychiatric evaluation will be presented in court.

Malmö sniper Peter Mangs found guilty

TheLocal.se

July 24, 2012

Peter Mangs has been found guilty of two counts of murder and several other charges, Malmö District Court announced on Tuesday.

He will now undergo a psychological evaluation.

"Peter Mangs has ruthlessly ruined the lives of several people. These crimes have been committed in a terribly cold and cyncial way, completely devoid of any feeling. We argue that he had the clear intent to shoot foreigners," said chief prosecutor Solveig Wollstad, according to news agency TT.

Mangs was facing 20 charges of which the court ruled that he was guilty of 13, among these two murders, four attempted murders and three cases of illegal threats.

"This is what we have been hoping for. Even if I have felt all this time that it must be so, this is the truth, seeing as the decision comes from the court," said one victims' mother to TT.

In one of the three murder charges against Mangs, the court didn't feel that the evidence was convincing enough to find him guilty.

However, Mangs will now undergo a psychiatric evaluation lasting some four weeks.

The result of this evaluation will be presented in August when his defence lawyers and the prosecutor will argue what penalty he should receive.

"The penalty for these crimes should equate to life imprisonment," Wollstad argued.

"He should definitely be punished, that is the consequence of what he has done. But to me it isn't important, I won't get my daughter back regardless. Never ever. We have to live with this for the rest of our lives," the victim's mother said to TT.

Mangs was arrested in November 2010 after a massive manhunt following a string of shootings against people of immigrant origin that gripped Sweden's third largest city with fear.

On Tuesday, he was also found guilty of four of the 12 counts of attempted murder he had been charged with, after having fired numerous shots with his Glock 19 pistol at homes, businesses and cars as well as out in the open, seriously injuring a number of people and coming close to killing many others.

The ruling is expected in the first or second week of September.

Mangs said he 'shot the monkey': witness

TheLocal.se

June 19, 2012

Peter Mangs, on trial suspected of killing three people and attempting to kill another 12, on Tuesday explained his personality to the court and the details of his shootings.

“I’m not your typical person,” Mangs told the courtroom, according to the TT news agency.

The suspected serial killer recounted to the court his relations with Sweden’s social and education system, the labour market and the psychiatric care scheme.

Although Mangs has known since 2006 that he no longer suffers from the condition Asperger's Syndrome, but has continued to attend support groups ever since to discuss the affliction.

According to an acquaintance of Mangs from an Asperger's meet in Lund in 2005, Mangs asked the man if he would like to “come along and shoot people”.

The witness also claimed that Mangs had confessed to shooting a young man on Gånglåtsvägen in Malmö.

“And then he explained that he had also shot an older man there. He said ‘it was me who shot the ape’,” the acquaintance told the court.

When pressed by the court, the man admitted that he thought Mangs had been speaking the truth due to his “dramatic” tone at the time.

Asked why Mangs chose the word “ape”, the man replied:

“It’s because he doesn’t like some immigrants so much. Though he did like some other immigrants.”

Mangs has confessed to two of the 20 charges against him, both regarding vandalism. He confessed to shooting bullets into street signs in Malmö, claiming it was a training exercise.

“I wanted to practice aiming the laser under pressure, because it’s forbidden to shoot inside the town,” he told the court.

However, he refuses to pay the 2,150 kronor ($307) repair fee demanded by the town authorities, stating that the signs are still functional and remain on display in the city.

“They can become tourist attractions,” he told the court.

A Murder Trial in Sweden, With Echoes of Norway

By Christina Anderson - The New York Times

May 15, 2012

MALMO, Sweden — With echoes of the massacre reverberating from neighboring Norway, a trial has started here of a man charged with killing three people and the attempted murder of 12 others in a string of shootings that mostly targeted people with immigrant backgrounds.

Prosecutors say the defendant, Peter Mangs, 40, appears to have been motivated in part by a dislike of immigrants. Mr. Mangs pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial on Monday.

And although the scale of the accusations are nothing like the charges against Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian on trial in Oslo for the systematic killings of 77 people last year in a crusade against multiculturalism, the parallels have not been lost on residents here in Malmo, Sweden’s third-largest city and one of its most diverse.

The first two killings in the Mangs case occurred in the summer of 2003, when two men were shot on the same street — one in his apartment, the other as he was leaving for work — within seven weeks.

Six years passed before the next killing in October 2009. The victim in that case, Trez West Persson, 20, was sitting in the front of a parked car with a young man, Xhafer Dani, when prosecutors say Mr. Mangs fired several shots at them, killing Ms. West Persson and seriously wounding Mr. Dani, who took the stand on Tuesday.

There were seven more shootings between New Year’s Eve 2009, when an Islamic center was fired on, and August 2010, when Younes Cheikhi, the owner of a fast-food kiosk, was shot at.

Mr. Cheikhi, an immigrant from Syria, was preparing to close for the night when a bullet entered through the back of the kiosk and broke the window next to where orders were placed before hitting a car on the opposite side of the street. “I thought it was a rock or an air gun at first,” Mr. Cheikhi said the day before the trial, sitting at a restaurant across from the kiosk, which he has since sold. “I lost customers immediately. The shootings got worse and everyone was afraid.”

Three more shootings were reported in October 2010. All together, there were four shootings in 2009 and eight in 2010.

In October of that year, the police asked the public for tips that would help them find a gunman who was attacking immigrants. The announcement sent a shiver of fear through residents of Malmo, where 40 percent of the residents were either born outside of Sweden or have parents who were born elsewhere.

“People didn’t want to be out at night,” said Amir Burhani, a cabdriver who noticed an increase in business.

One tip led the police to Mr. Mangs. After following him for weeks and eavesdropping on his telephone conversations, officers stormed Mr. Mangs’s apartment on Nov. 6, 2010, and arrested him.

The police found evidence tying Mr. Mangs to the crimes inside what was otherwise an “orderly” home, prosecutors said, including ammunition, a Glock pistol and silencer, and a combat vest that carried a gun barrel, a homemade mask, bullets and a large knife.

The police also found a book about John Ausonius, a gunman who is widely known in Sweden as “the laser man” because he used a laser-equipped sight in his crimes. He is serving a life sentence for killing one person and wounding many others in Stockholm and Uppsala, Sweden, in 1991 and 1992. Most of Mr. Ausonius’s victims were immigrants, and Mr. Mangs spoke admiringly of him to at least one person, prosecutors say.

Solveig Wollstad, the lead prosecutor in Mr. Mangs’s case, has presented a picture of him as a troubled and lonely man who fancied himself as somehow superior to others but who had trouble coping in social settings. She said he sought psychiatric help at least twice before the shootings in 2003 and expressed an “interest in death” and a fear that he was going to hurt someone.

In court, dressed in a white shirt and gray pants, Mr. Mangs was sometimes impassive but at times seemed bemused or surprised. Sometimes he simply gazed into space. As Ms. Wollstad listed the crimes he is accused of committing, he polished his glasses.

Prosecutors said Mr. Mangs had posted comments on anti-immigrant Web sites and had expressed racist views to co-workers. But he also showed a strong dislike of people convicted of crimes.

“It’s a bit different for each crime. Sometimes it’s to silent a witness,” Ms. Wollstad said in an interview on Sunday. “He doesn’t like people from different countries, but you can’t say he’s a classic racist. He calls himself ‘a chameleon,’ ”

She said that he had a conspiratorial worldview and subscribed to the notion that Jews were responsible for the destruction of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

The trial is expected to continue through mid-July. If he is found guilty, and is not found to be suffering from a mental illness, Mr. Mangs could be sentenced to up to life in prison.

Malmo shootings: Swedish man charged

A Swedish man suspected of a year-long shooting spree against immigrants in the southern part of the country was remanded in custody on Tuesday on preliminary charges of one murder and five attempted murders.

Telegraph.co.uk

November 9, 2010

The suspect, identified in a court document as 38-year-old Peter Mangs, was arrested at his apartment in the city of Malmo over the weekend. Police said he denied the allegations.

Investigators have been searching for a lone gunman who has terrorised Malmo since October last year with more than a dozen shootings of people with immigrant backgrounds.

The victims have been shot at bus stops, in their cars, and through the window of a gym. One of them was killed and at least seven injured.

After a closed-door hearing in Malmo's district court, Prosecutor Solveig Wollstad said the judge approved her request to keep Mangs in custody as she prepares formal charges.

She said the suspicions against him have strengthened since the arrest, but declined to comment on a report in Swedish newspaper Expressen that police experts had linked one of two firearms seized at his apartment to some of the shootings.

Police earlier said he held a license for the gun and didn't have a previous criminal record. They did not speculate on a motive.

"He denies the allegations," police spokesman Borje Sjoholm said. "It's very hard to ask questions about the motive to a person who denies that he's done it."

The first shooting was Oct. 10, 2009, when a 21-year-old convicted drug smuggler on furlough from prison was shot in the head in a parked car. Swedish media said he was hospitalised for a month with a bullet in his brain but survived. A 20-year-old woman sitting next to him was also hit in the head and died.

Prosecutor Wollstad said Mangs remains suspected of one murder and seven attempted murders even though she mentioned five of the attempted murders to the court.

It is not uncommon for Swedish prosecutors to present only portions of their case in detention hearings, which are held with two-week intervals pending formal charges.