Were they shots? In sweden, the violence had to think about more often than in Finland

Gunshot sound split the air. I paused. I took the headphones out of my ear.

it was the evening jog with the dog in Solna Haga park. The dog was frozen in place. We stood on the dimly lit dirt road that bordered the dark forest.

I Looked around. Not anyone. I don't know from which direction the sound had come.

Another shot. The sound drowned out everything else. It was as if something had slashed the air. Is this real, I thought? Whether someone is a gang of showdown start?

What the hell happened, I wonder. I turned off the dog light and we started running back.

the Idea that someone shot seemed so absurd, that I decided to stop. This isn't possible. Against came a young couple who was walking the two dogs. They looked panicked sellers, engaged.

the couple asked the same questions as I do. Were they shots? Were they sharp enough to be gunshots? Where did they come from?

we Started to talk about dogs, because it feels safe to talk about something familiar to the matter. We went through their ages, characteristics and appetite. The woman brought us back down to earth.

– did this happen here, now, he whispered.

we Looked at our dog.

I don't know. Maybe. I hope not.

we Continued to travel in different directions , but I couldn't go out yet. Maybe the police car to drive point to the scene or the youth crew walks over and the situation is more clear.

the Third shot.

And after that complete silence. The dog refused to go forward.

this is how it feels, I was thinking on the way home. When you have to consider whether bystanders hit by a bullet.

I can of course imagine how it feels older, who lose their children to crime, or anybody else from the victim.

They began to be already a lot.

a Few years ago in Sweden the incidence of shootings. This year has been a lot of explosives to shock. Now, during the autumn, it has been widely reported youth gangs, which spread out to new areas.

Our home on the corner also take place. Last fall the house in our company in the business mode was two explosions. At least in the second case, used a hand grenade.

I've been thinking, what if that gets hit again? Just when my children come home from school?

the People tracked. Driving a car beside or followed home and required to give the cellphone, wallet and watch, if any.

Still, any kind of fear I've never seen anyone's eyes before this day in Hagan park. One reason is that people are accustomed to, myself I'm.

crime news startled every time when we moved to Sweden about three months ago. Morning coffee I went through the cell phone screen for the accumulated local news and consider whether the these big news of the kingdom of consignments.

No risen just one. Violence rises news only when it is a large and serious event. These have been the last few days the explosions in Malmö and people shooting in the middle of the street, dozens of shots after.

Every morning cell phone news flow among them is an explosion, possibly a suicide, maybe the shooting, which is not told on the evening news.

People are worried about crime. But those, whose news do not touch, continuing life as before.

at least on the surface affected.

Me more and more often, mind description, which I heard in 1996 in Belfast do my interviews in the Northern Ireland situation. One local told how the IRA bomb attacks in affected people.

When you're sitting on a crowded bus in the morning, anyone's expression did not flinch. But there is a certain atmosphere, where you know that everyone in that bus thinking, is the following the intersection of the bomb.

Maybe Sweden more to reflect on what can happen than I dared show.

Subscribe Yle newsletters!

Get Overeating the best content straight to your inbox!

Proceed to order