Current Crime: The School Shooting in Örebro

Scandinavian Crimes (w/ Devante & Delila)

Year(s) of Incident: 
Location: Sweden
Current Crime: The School Shooting in Örebro
Victim(s):  10
Method: Murder, Mass Shooting

On Tuesday, February 2nd, at 12:30 PM, police received reports of an ongoing shooting at campus RIZ-berg-ska, an adult education center located in UR-eh-bro, Sweden. Witnesses described hearing multiple gunshots, followed by chaos as students and staff ran away for safety. Nearby surveillance footage from an elementary school captured the rapid succession of gunfire.

The police identified the shooter as 35-year-old Rickard Anders-son. Eyewitnesses reported that Rickard arrived at campus RIZ-berg-ska carrying what appeared to be a guitar case, which was later revealed to be a gun bag. Upon entering the school, he headed to a restroom, changing into military-style clothing before launching his attack.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:42 Current Event - The Attack
• 4:10 Current Event - Rickard Andersson
• 5:35 Current Event - Rickard’s Troubled Past
• 7:06 Current Event - The Motive
• 9:09 Current Event - Social Media Reaction to The Örebro Shooting
• 11:58 Discussion Section
• 29:03 Conclusion/Outro

Transcript

Welcome to Scandinavian Crimes. My name is Devante. And say hello to my lovely co-host, Delila.

(...) Hi.

(...)

And on this podcast, we talk about famous Scandinavian criminals who made their mark throughout Scandinavian history.

(...)

So typically, as you all know, all of our returning listeners, and if you're new, then maybe be sure to check out our older stuff. But typically, we cover things that happened in the past, things that happened either decades, years, or even months ago. But in this case...

Usually finished cases.

Yes, usually finished and complete cases. But this case was so rare, and this case was so different.(...) And it's also very current. I'm pretty sure you're reading the title. This is about the school shooting that took place in Ouroboro literally just a few days ago from when we're recording this. So this is a situation where this is a horrifying school shooting on campus, Risberska, right? It's in Ouroboro, and it left people... Let's start... 10 people dead, if I remember correctly, right? 10 people. And I know the news is trying to make it seem like it was 11, but in reality, that included the shooter. We're just focusing on the 10 actual victims and not the shooters. And several people injured, marking one of the worst mass shootings in Swedish history, actually. You guys don't have a lot of school shootings, so when one does happen, it's kind of a big deal. So you already know a situation like this sent a lot of shock waves throughout the nation, raising questions about gun laws, mental health, and also the media's portrayal of the crime, as well as obviously who committed the crime and who the victims were and their relationship relative to each other and all that stuff. So this is going to be more of a current events kind of situation.

I also want to add that the information is taken from news outlets like SVDE Express, SVDE, Afterbladet, Swanska Dogbladet, and Doggensnerjetter. So you are aware that these are the resources that we have taken it from.

(...)

So usually I have a little story thing. I'm not going to really do that for an active case, mostly because it's still technically being investigated. So I'm not going to really put it in like this super story way, but I'm going to give you all the details. That's public information. And you already know how we're going to do it. Information that we have will present it the way it is presented. And afterwards, we'll discuss it. And you're welcome to give your input, obviously, after we do our discussion or maybe leave a comment, whatever you want to do. So just know we're going to follow the same format. We're just going to kind of take the story tone out of it and just present information as it is. But, you know,

(...)

let's kind of go along for the ride here. So on Tuesday, February 2nd, at 1230 p.m., police received reports of an ongoing shooting at Campus Risverska, an adult education center located in Ouro, Sweden.(...) Witnesses described hearing multiple gunshots, followed by chaos as students and staff ran away to safety.(...) Nearby surveillance footage from the elementary school captured a rapid succession of gunfire.

(...)

Fortunately, the school was less crowded than usual due to the national exam that had concluded earlier that day. When police arrived, thick smoke filled the hallways, suspecting a fire officer secured the perimeter, locked down nearby schools and instructed students and faculty to shelter in place. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that students were safely evacuated from the building.(...) Now, the police identified the shooter as a 35 year old, Rickard Anderson.

(...)

Eyewitnesses reported that Rickard arrived on campus, Risverska carrying what appeared to be a guitar case, which was later revealed to be a gun bag. Upon entering the school, he headed to the restroom, changing into military style clothing before launching his attack.(...) As the attack unfolded, thick smoke filled the hallways.(...) Some witnesses claim that Rickard detonated a smoke grenade when police arrived, though authorities have yet to verify that particular detail. In response to the attack, police quickly locked down the campus, Risverska, and nearby areas, launching a large-scale tactical operation to secure the scene.(...) During their search of the premises, authorities discovered the perpetrator deceased.

(...)

Reports indicated that he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A license-hunting rifle was found beside his body, allowing investigators to identify Rickard.(...) Following his identification, police raided his apartment, seizing electronic devices, documents, and other potential evidence.

(...)

Authorities are now analyzing his digital footprint to determine his motives and any possible influences behind the attack.

(...)

During a press conference that evening, officials confirmed this tragic outcome. Ten people lost their lives in the massacre. Three days later, police identified the victims as seven women and three men, ages 28 to 68. Rickard had no prior criminal record, and authorities believed he acted alone in the attack. His background paints a picture of a man struggling with social isolation, mental health issues, and long-term unemployment.

(...)

And also, Rickard grew up in Ombi, in Ombi, Arbro, and faced academic struggles throughout his school. So in eighth grade, he failed all but half of his subjects. And in the remaining terms, he failed every subject.(...) A former classmate actually described him as a loner, increasingly withdrawn, and as he got older, it just seemed to have gotten much, much worse. In 2008, he attended now closed Vodshuping Education Center, where he was placed in a special class designed for students with Asperger's syndrome and high-functioning autism. At 21, Rickard moved out and obtained his Hunter's license in 2011. He held licenses for four firearms, three of which were recovered by police after the campus Rizburska attack. As an adult,(...) Rickard had no reported taxable income for nine consecutive years. He relied on financial assistance, which was later revoked due to inadequate job search efforts. With a few photos from travels published online,(...) Rickard attended the municipal adult education program in Rizburska school to improve his math skills. He was enrolled in fall of 2013 and again in 2019 to the spring of 2021.(...) However, he did not earn any credits and dropped out in May 2021.

(...)

Now, the motive for the attack remains pretty unclear as of right now. Authorities have ruled out terrorism and found no evidence of ideological motives so far, but speculation continues, especially on social media.

(...)

Witnesses have reported that Rickard appeared to spare certain individuals and attacked immigrants during the attack, leading to some speculation that it may have been a targeted assault rather than a random violence. However, authorities have not confirmed this theory. Now, TV4 News obtained footage from the attack showing a man hiding in a restroom while gunshots rang out, and hands audio revealed someone shouting, "You should be removed from Europe,"

(...)

just before two shots were fired.(...) The identity of the speaker remains unknown, but many speculate it was Rickard.(...) Social media users have speculated that the motive could be racial or Islamophobic, pointing out the campus Rizburska mainly served immigrants seeking education. Some speculate that Rickard may have felt resentment towards immigrants, perceiving that they received social and educational support that he was denied. Many have also criticized the media's focus on Rickard's mental health struggles, arguing that it diverts attention from the possibility of domestic terrorism.(...) Amid growing online speculation,(...) authorities have urged the public to refrain from spreading misinformation.

(...)

Police stress the importance of caution, urging everyone to await official updates before drawing conclusions. Even Prime Minister Ulf Kristensen agreed, stating, "Let us not speculate on what happened." While the police continue their investigation, no evidence has surfaced to clarify his intent.

(...)

Prosecutor Elizabeth Anderson stated that without a living suspect, no charges can be filed and there is no obligation to make the investigation public.(...) However, authorities may still choose or disclose their conclusions.

(...)

If Rickard is confirmed as a sole perpetrator, the case will be closed without a trial and the findings may remain confidential. A debate has emerged regarding the classification of Rickard's mass shooting. Many question why he was not labeled a terrorist. School security specialist Lena Leinau-Youngdow explained that terrorism legally targets the state with the intent to change it. Fear and devastation alone do not meet the legal definition. For an act to be classified as terrorism, it must destabilize the government or influence decision-making.(...) Since Rickard's attack lacked such motive, it does not meet the criteria. Some, however, disagree, pointing out the clear disparity in how perpetrators are portrayed based on their ethnic background. Many argue that if Rickard had been a non-Swedish name or came from outside of Europe, the media, politicians, and police would have responded differently.(...) Critics claim that when the perpetrator fits a certain ethnic profile, they are quickly labeled a terrorist.

(...)

When they don't, the narrative shifts to describing them as a complex or troubled person with mental health issues.(...) Rickard is being characterized as just that which angers the public.

(...)

Campas Rizburska is known for its integration and workforce programs, primarily serving immigrants.

(...)

When this case is discussed online as a potential targeted attack with a racial motive, such discussions are often dismissed as "politicizing the tragedy." Social media users emphasize that non-white individuals are frequently politicized in such cases. They argue that if it's possible to mourn the victims while also addressing media bias and the double standards in how crimes are reported. Expressen and Auf en Bladet are among the few news outlets addressing this issue, recently highlighting it in a TikTok video. They noted that the media's and politicians' reluctance to label Tuesday's school massacre as "terrorism sparking concern." As Sweden's deadliest modern mass killing, its classification should be clear.(...) Political hesitation and search for alternative explanations may play a role.(...) Society, media, and political leaders must use precise, consistent language when addressing such acts. Many are questioning how Rickard obtained firearm licenses. Michael Soderstrom, ahead of the firearms licensing unit, said Rickard would not have been approved if deemed unfit.(...) However, Rickard failed to pass any subjects in ninth grade, left high school without a diploma, and was deemed ineligible for military conscription. Despite this, he was granted a license for two semi-automatic rifles and two shotguns typical for hunting. The firearms included a 22 caliber, two 12 gauges, as well as a 30 caliber as well. Police assesses applications using criminal records, suspicion registries, and medical reports revoking licenses if a crime is committed or a doctor raises concerns. Rickard was therefore never flagged as a risk.

(...)

So, as you know, this is a very current event, and I want to talk about something that's very interesting. They try to, I guess, classify terrorism as, you know, something that's solely for political gain, almost like as if they wanted to influence the government. Well, from my understanding, at least when I was in school, terrorism is generally defined as like a use of violence to...

(...)

You have to redo the whole thing now.

Yeah.

(...)

So, at least from when I was in school, terrorism is generally defined as a use of violence, threats, or intimidation to achieve political, ideological, religious, and social goals. Well, and or social goals. So, it varies depending on the legal framework, I guess, but the key elements often include violence or threats of violence, political ideology, religious and social motives, targeting civilians or non-combatants, and creating fear beyond the immediate victims. So, this is they're trying to like use a small technicality.

I could just add something because in Sweden, I actually looked up the law and it was very,

(...)

like technically,

(...)

what's her name again? Liana Jungdahl, I think her name was.

(...)

She was referring to what the law said, and it did say targeting governmental, la, la, la, la, but also it also have parts where it says targeting people.

(...)

So, that's why I'm like, I feel like...

Yeah, I was gonna say something about that.

(...)

Oh, okay. Sorry. Because like, I don't know if you've read the Swedish law.

Yeah, I was gonna say like, it's probably minor differences, but I was gonna kind of say, you know, like from even when I understand it still includes targeting civilians, targeting people.

It could be very determined by you.

And also the options they gave of like violence or threats. These are not ands, they're ors, which means they can be any of the following or combination of the following.(...) So, by definition, his goal,

(...)

based on what's presented, you know, by the news and also who he targeted, he targeted immigrants. Those immigrants he killed are supposed to create fear beyond an immediate victims, meaning create fear for other immigrants so that way they don't come to a location that then develops a more political or social structure. Meaning he wants a more white environment, which is having to do with someone's ethnic and racial background, but ethnicity and racial background also goes into beliefs, you know, the less... I'm just giving an example, because, you know, we're talking about Somalia or Eritrea or whatever.

(...)

So, now less of them immigrate to a country, there'll be less of them who are there who practice Islam or who practice whatever religion. There'll be less black people. That's also political, ideological, and also it's racially motivated.

(...)

So, it feeds often to other things just due from the one action. So, even she gave the explanation and it does that technically doesn't even track, because his one action...

(...) It's literally... It's technical, but technically also say it the other way around and be like, yeah, but like, it does affect people who live here.

Yeah, so basically she's trying to treat the crime as if all the killing only exists in this bubble. When a reality,(...) that's not how crime works. Things always exist in a bigger picture. Every single crime, even crimes of passion exist in a larger scale. You know, it doesn't just exist in that bubble. They didn't just wake up one day and decide to do whatever they decide to do. Something else is influencing or the goal that they seek to achieve is influencing. And in his case, this is less immigrants. He gets more work for more white people, which then influences the political, religious, and social motives of everyone who lives in the country. So, this is actually a act of terrorism. This is what it is. They're trying to keep it in a vacuum.

And something also that this... There was an opinion piece by Dalla de McRoughton,

(...)

article. I don't remember exactly who wrote it just right now, but they said something interesting that I was like, hmm. And it was that they were referring attack that was before this attack, that already was the Swedish biggest mass shooting, school mass shooting, and it was in Trollheta.

(...)

And they were saying that this was the motive behind that was the same like Nazi kind of mentality motive. And like the perpetrator was specifically targeting immigrants. And was basically using that as a reference to make a point that usually if you target specifically a school that has mostly immigrants in it,(...) it's usually it's racially motivated because there's like... And then it just doesn't seem to be any other sensible reason otherwise. And I thought that makes sense too. We've also covered a couple of different cases like that with racially motivated reason like Anders Breivik and also Jan Wolfgang,

(...)

the laser man. Yeah, that happened in Sweden too.(...) But he wasn't really doing it in a school per se. But he was specifically... Yeah, he was specifically targeting immigrants because he had Nazi beliefs and same as Anders Breivik. But he got... It took time for Anders Breivik to be called a terrorist.(...) But also legally, if you think about it, he did attack governmental office, I think it was, and also the children in the youth camp who specifically had immigrant backgrounds or ethnicity wise, they didn't look like they were white.

(...)

Yeah. So basically, this opinion piece was arguing that like,

(...)

saying that usually it has a motive of such tendencies.

(...)

Statistically, they have seen that and we have seen that in the world. It's statistically in other countries too.(...) It's usually been that.(...) And also with the information that we had that Tipa Fira news posted about the

(...)

they heard someone scream, you should leave Europe. Yeah. Even though it's not confirmed who said it,

(...)

it's still like, why would an immigrant say it?

Yeah.

(...) So it's just like, there's a lot of points here that I think it's important to have in mind.

(...)

And obviously, it's never good to speculate too much. But also we have a lot of information and statistics.

(...)

So far, I can't speak.

(...)

But there's one thing I want to talk about in general. And as long as this podcast, I made it very clear. I'm very, I don't like any form of I don't like war and like oppression. I don't like as an African American whose family descended as a transaction of the transatlantic slave trade. I'm not particularly fond of any of this stuff, but I want people to keep things in perspective. So when it comes to immigration, when it comes to globalization,(...) learning of other people's cultures, learning of what every country has to offer,

(...)

I want people to realize how resource rich(...) and a lot of these African nations are.

(...)

So Sweden and also other countries like the US and plenty of other countries, there's black people everywhere, there's Africans everywhere.

(...)

There's a lot of resources in Africa. Now, a lot of these people are immigrating to, I guess you would say, first world countries, primarily because a lot of the Western world has destabilized a lot of these countries. So as we know, EV cars are very popular, batteries are very popular for cell phones, for computers, for laptops, for watches.(...) Literally, we are running completely on batteries at this point. And Africa is resource heavy and all that. For example, cobalt is mainly found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, right? 70% of the world's cobalt comes from the DRC.

(...)

Lithium,

(...)

Zimbabwe,(...) nickel comes from Madagascar, South Africa, and what's it, Botswana?(...) They mine nickel as well. Graphite,

(...)

Madagascar, Tanzania,

(...)

manganese, I think it is.(...) A lot of copper comes from Congo as well, which makes the country very attractive to the Western world, which then destabilize these countries to get access to these mines. That was actually one of the reasons why Elon Musk's family got so powerful and rich, because they were mining diamonds and they were pretty much enslaving large chunks of people from those populations. Now, why am I bringing this up? These people wouldn't have to move out of their countries if other countries didn't decide to infiltrate their countries, destabilize their countries, and siphon from their resources. But also because of that, a lot of countries that we have the luxury of having nice apartments, nice heating, nice cars,

(...)

you guys wouldn't have the resources either, myself included. So in reality, I think if you want to fix a problem like this, or at least make sure this doesn't happen again, we need to understand how important it is that globalization is important, sharing resources on a planet that we all share is important, but also understanding that these people are leaving countries due to our intervention.

(...)

Everyone who listened to this podcast, it is in response to what our countries have been doing or participating in, whether directly or indirectly.

(...)

So the increased war that happened in the other countries also was the reason that a lot of people fled to Europe.(...) And it has been a lot of in Europe in general, but also in Sweden,

(...)

a lot of hate towards immigrants and this,

(...)

like, using them as an escape code for situations that is not really immigrants fault,

(...)

which could be economical reasons, which could be, you know, how the situation is right now with the economy that's going on in the world. They're using it like, oh, immigrants take our jobs, they take our this, they take our that, they're using it as a scapegoat for a situation that was not the immigrants fault.

(...)

So also to keep that in mind, that could affect a lot of people. And in this case, to do acts like this.

(...)

And it all matters. Politics matters.

(...)

Globalization matters. Everything matters. Everything is connected. And that's why we also think it's important to have that discussion here as well.

So I want to keep in mind, I want everyone to keep this in mind when you're dealing with politics. A lot of these African countries you want. I know some people will make the argument, oh, if they have so many resources, why aren't they doing well? Well, when you're a country that is resource rich, often I'm using the US as an example, because I'm an American and I don't like American politics.(...) They tend to sanction countries.

(...)

And then when they sanction countries, what does that mean? That means they can't get access. They can't get the ability to sell their minerals or their their own stuff to the Western world freely. But what tends to happen, and I'm going somewhere with this obviously, is that corporations tend to step in to play the middleman.

(...)

Countries tend to get infiltrated by corporate exploitation. And then often they're finessing and finagling their resources, which ends up in situations even the apartheid had heavy,(...) heavy corporate influence in it. So what I'm saying is oftentimes the countries that are involved in this like the US, they're being they're being headed by rich people.

(...)

So if you want stuff like this to happen, stop happening, and you want to prevent, you know,(...) you know, countries from dealing with situations like this that which eventually will lead to, you know, mass shootings, because these people have to immigrate out of their countries, then you should be angry at the top 1% in your country, the people who are siphoning the most resources.

(...)

They're the ones who are causing a lot of these immigrants to move to different countries because they're the ones destabilizing for their resources. So even if you let's say you want, wherever your thought process may be, the best way to combat it at the end of the day is to make sure that their home just goes untouched.

(...)

So if you're for immigration, if you're against immigration, regardless, the best way to combat this is just simply make sure they have a home, make sure their home is untouched.

(...)

That's all it's really that simple and hold, you know, your politicians accountable for the things that they do that cause them to immigrate if you don't want them or want them there. It doesn't matter.

(...) It's a simple A lot of people have actually done that. They have criticized the politicians in Sweden.

(...)

And because a lot of them or half of them have a favor of like they don't want immigration,

(...)

basically,(...) including the Prime Minister.(...) And they are criticizing him and also the parties that are against it.(...) So there's a lot of things going on right now. And after this, they are basically trying to be like, okay, let's calm down. Let's not make this a bigger issue than it is.

(...)

And trying to basically say that we should not how do you say this in English, like we shouldn't be against each other, we should be together as one country and la, la, la, la. So there's a lot of disappointment in this in Sweden from by the public or at least some of the public people and also sadness and about what happened. And also a lot of, as you said, anxiety and worry about how the future will be for immigrants in general, or those who have non white people, non Swedish people.

(...)

But yeah, so I guess I just wanted to add one thing regarding the the audio that the TV4 news has said, or the audio with a you need to leave Europe,(...) because it's never been verified who said it. And also there have been people questioning it, saying that it's very hard to hear what they said in the clip, I listened to the clip, I, as you know, it's hard to hear it, but I could hear that. That could have been something that they said, if you analyze the clip, and you enhance the audio, but I'm not a professional, so I couldn't say.(...) But basically, there was a person who's a speech therapy therapist who is an expert and works in Caroling's against the truth that she said that, you know, you can warn people that Oh, yeah, after you hear what they what you want to hear in such cases, and that it could have been like, this is not what somebody said.

(...)

And obviously, the TV4 news chef, chef, boss, I don't know how to say it. Basically,(...) yeah, she defended this report and saying like, yeah, that's, you know, we had experienced audio technicians who analyze the clip and enhance the audio, they both said that this is what, you know, was said in the video clip. So it's a little bit like, I just feel like we should have that in mind as well, that there were two experts that did, you know,

(...)

analyze it. So it wasn't just like something that they wrote just for fun sake.

(...)

But also, I can understand what the speech therapist is saying that you can hear what you want to hear. But, you know, I think if two experts analyzed it, I said the same thing.

Let's wrap up. I guess for this one, I won't really do a a food thing. It's more current events.

(...)

But just something simple.(...) No matter what your beliefs are, whether you believe in immigration, whether you think immigration is good or bad, doesn't matter. I will say, look at the bigger picture and ask, I'm just presenting the question.(...) Why do these people immigrate? What's going on in their countries? Who's involved? Follow the money as if you've seen any action movie or any spy movie, they always say, follow the money, follow the details, look at the big picture, see what's going on behind the scenes, and then come to a conclusion yourself and see why this stuff happens and how we got all the way to this point of a school shooting. And you'll kind of understand why and what's going on in the world. So just take the time, look up your own information, come to your own conclusions, do your research,(...) and hopefully we can prevent situations like this from happening.

I just want to say that this information is based on what we know as of Saturday, the February of 8th. There might be new updates before even on the day this episode is uploaded, so you have to keep that in mind and review any updates while using this episode as a base information so far, if you feel like it's hard to keep everything in on track.

(...)

And also authorities have encouraged anyone who lives in Sweden, so if you have any information, photos, or video footage or anything

(...)

from the scene, please contact police at 11 4 14. To the victims, their loved ones, and all affected by this tragedy, we offer our deepest and most heartfelt condolences.(...) You are in our thoughts, and during this incredible,

(...)

you are in our thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.