麻豆传媒

Skip to main content

Award-winning teenage rapper shot to death in Sweden

Swedish rapper Einar is seen in this Nov. 8, 2019 photo. (Jessica Gow/TT via AP) Swedish rapper Einar is seen in this Nov. 8, 2019 photo. (Jessica Gow/TT via AP)
Share
STOCKHOLM -

An award-winning 19-year-old Swedish rapper was shot to death in southern Stockholm in an incident that media reports on Friday said was likely to be gang-related.

The case has shocked the Swedish entertainment world and highlighted what officials said was the urgent need to deal with growing criminal gang activity in the Nordic country.

The rapper Einar was struck by several bullets in the Hammarby Sjostad suburb south of central Stockholm and died on the spot late Thursday, police spokesman Ola Osterling told the Swedish news agency TT.

Police are looking for at least two suspects who allegedly shot the rapper.

The motive of the shooting remains unclear but the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that the rapper had received several threats recently. It said without providing details that Einar was shot from point-blank range, 鈥渆xecution style.鈥

According to the Swedish public broadcaster SVT, the rapper's shooting was gang-related.

Einar, whose real name is Nils Gronberg, was born in Stockholm and rose to fame at the age of 16 when his song 鈥淜atten i trakten,鈥 from his debut album 鈥淔orsta klass鈥 topped the Swedish charts in 2019.

He won the song of the year award in 2019 and the newcomer of the year award a year later. Einar's songs have been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times on Spotify.

鈥淚 understand that he (Einar) meant a lot to many young people,鈥 Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told SVT. 鈥淭his is of course tragic. It is a young life that has been extinguished.鈥

Christian Democratic party leader Ebba Busch posted on Twitter that if politicians don't take responsibility for dealing with gang-related crime, 鈥渨e can't stand up for human dignity or security in the country.鈥

Center Party leader Annie Loof said most people 鈥渉ave had enough of the senseless violence and want to see gang crime fought.鈥

Swedish tabloid Expressen said that Einar's songs often dealt with criminality including guns, drugs and violence and the rapper allegedly had strong connections with local criminal gangs. He had been seen hanging out and partying with gang members

According to Expressen, Einar was due to testify in a gang trial next week but Swedish prosecutors had earlier said they didn't expect him to show up in court.

The rapper himself had earlier been convicted of minor drug offenses, an assault and illegal driving, among other things, SVT said.

Sweden has seen a rise in organized crime activity in the past few years and several gang-related shootings have occurred in Stockholm, Goteborg and Malmo.

In July, two young children were accidentally shot and injured by unknown criminals in a suburb just outside Stockholm and in August three people were wounded in a shooting in the southern city of Kristianstad that was linked to gangs.

A report by the Swedish national council for crime prevention said earlier this year that Sweden is the only European country where fatal shootings have risen significantly since 2000, primarily because of the violent activities of organized gangs.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

B.C.鈥檚 Civil Resolution Tribunal has ordered WestJet to refund a family in full for their diverted flight and compensate them for associated costs.

opinion

opinion Kamala Harris needs another breakthrough to win in November

The sprint to the White House comes to its climactic end less than 45 days from now, and Washington political analyst Eric Ham says despite Kamala Harris's rising popularity, she's still in need of another breakthrough if she's to win the presidency.

On Sept. 20, Justice R.E. Nation of the Alberta Court of King's Bench found Craig McMorran guilty of fraud, money laundering and stealing a cottage from its rightful owners.

Local Spotlight

Giant gourds took over a Manitoba community this weekend.

Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.

Before influencers on social media, Canada鈥檚 Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary鈥檚 Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.