After the killing in Copenhagen with three dead, experts discuss how to deal with the mentally ill in Denmark. The 22-year-old suspect, who was arrested shortly after the crime, was “known in psychiatry”, according to police. He will spend his remand in a closed psychiatric ward.
“You can make all sorts of assumptions: was the abuser mentally ill? Was he in psychiatry? Did he ask for help but wasn’t understood?” To prevent such an act from happening again, a thorough investigation must be carried out into what preceded it: “For the sake of the victims, the bereaved – and so for all of us – we must learn the most from such a terrible story.” said Videbech.
According to estimates by the president of the Danish Psychiatric Society, psychiatric professor Merete Nordentoft, about a third more staff would be needed in psychiatry to provide adequate care for the mentally ill. “I agree with those out there who think the system is under so much pressure that things like this can happen.”
According to research by broadcaster DR, the alleged shooter tried to contact a crisis hotline before the crime. During pretrial detention, the suspect’s mental state will be examined. However, details of his story are not yet known. The motive for the crime is still unclear. But terror shouldn’t be behind it.
The 22-year-old Dane is said to have shot and killed three people at Field’s shopping mall in Copenhagen on Sunday and seriously injured four. According to police, three other people were treated for injuries caused by possible graze shots. The fatal victims were two 17-year-old Danes – a boy and a girl – and a 47-year-old Russian resident in Denmark.
One of the teenagers worked at the movie theater attached to the mall. “It is with great sadness that we have to confirm that one of our young movie employees lost his life in Sunday’s terrible and incomprehensible tragedy,” operator Nordisk Film Biografer said Tuesday on Facebook. “We are deeply touched and our thoughts and condolences are with the family.”
The deceased teen’s peers will receive psychological help, the Facebook post said. All the operator’s cinemas in the country were closed on Tuesday – “out of respect for the victims and to discuss the situation with our employees”. The entire shopping center where the attack took place will remain closed until at least next Monday.
On Tuesday night, many people want to gather on the street in front of the crime scene, which must remain isolated until midnight, to honor the victims of the murder spree. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen want to deliver speeches there. A choir will also sing. “Come and show your support,” the Copenhagen municipality wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.