Deadliest Shootings Ever: A Surge in Execution-Style Killings

Never before, since police began keeping records, have shootings been as deadly as they are now. A new pattern has emerged this year, with four young men shot dead in cars in just over a week.

– It can only be interpreted in one way: execution. It's a classic mafia method, says Jale Poljarevius, regional intelligence chief at the police.

￭￭￭ Gothenburg, April 14. Two young men are shot dead outdoors in Biskopsgården late at night. According to information from Expressen, they have connections to the criminal network Norra Biskop, which has long been in conflict with Södra Biskop.

￭￭￭ Uppsala, April 29. On the afternoon before Walpurgis Night, a young man and two teenage boys are shot dead in a barbershop.

￭￭￭ Järfälla, August 25. After reports of gunfire shortly after midnight, two men are found shot dead in a car in a parking lot in Kallhäll.

￭￭￭ Gothenburg, September 2. Two young men are found dead in a car at a parking garage in Lunden. They have been shot dead, reportedly from the back seat of the car. Again, the conflict between Biskopsgården's criminal gangs is believed to be behind the act.

Increased Fatality in Shootings

These cases from recent months may indicate a change in gang-related gun violence. While shootings have become fewer, they have also become deadlier.

The number of shootings without fatalities is higher than those with.

So far this year, there have been 4.9 shootings per fatality, not including the mass murder at Risbergska in Örebro. This can be compared to 7.6 shootings per fatality during the period 2017–2024.

This is shown by police figures from the previous year and so far in 2025. Expressen has also included the latest shootings, which have not yet been registered in police statistics.

Jale Poljarevius, intelligence chief in the police region Mitt, notes that there have been several shootings with more than one fatality this year. A possible explanation could be that criminals have started hiring more capable executors than before, he suggests.

– A professional goes in and performs a surgical operation. He gets a target and eliminates the target.

“Classic Mafia Method”

At the same time, Jale Poljarevius points out that it is not always clear whether the murdered individuals were targets or if they were shot for more random reasons.

– Is the intent to take these lives, or is it rather that one is targeted but two others die?

Regarding the recent double murders in cars in Gothenburg and Stockholm, Poljarevius says:

– It can only be interpreted in one way: execution. It is a classic mafia method, as old as the car itself. It relies on deception and false trust to get a person to sit in the car and make themselves vulnerable.