Police shooting sparks second night of unrest in Tingbjerg

Unrest has continued for a second night in Tingbjerg, Copenhagen, after police fired at a passenger car on Saturday and hit a 22-year-old, DR reports.

Waste containers, vehicles and a building were set on fire in the district.

Riad Tolba, secretary general of SSP Copenhagen, said several young people were angry about the shooting because many people know the person who was hit.

“The young people are angry that police fired shots in their local area,” Tolba said.

Videos of the shooting have been shared on social media, where many comments discuss the use of the service weapon. Tolba said there was frustration that a young person had been shot by police, but that SSP Copenhagen would not assess whether the shooting was justified.

“That is in good hands with the Independent Police Complaints Authority,” he said.

Tolba said the organisation’s role was to speak with young people, give them an opportunity to express their frustration and make clear that unrest and arson were completely unacceptable.

Copenhagen Police have declined to comment on the shooting because it is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Authority. Deputy police inspector Jacob Hansen said police had not seen unrest in Tingbjerg before the incident.

“The unrest was therefore probably caused by some people being angry about what they believe the police did,” Hansen said.

On Monday, an excavator removed the remains of a fire from the previous night. One person has been arrested following several suspected arson attacks in Tingbjerg.