Two men charged over fatal mistaken-identity shooting near Aarhus

Two men aged 31 and 33 have been charged with killing an innocent 21-year-old man in Viby, near Aarhus, in March 2022, DR reports. According to the indictment, Søren Koch was mistaken for a gang member because they drove similar cars.

Koch was driving a black Volkswagen Golf at around 1 a.m. when the two defendants allegedly mistook him for a gang member driving a black Volkswagen Passat. He was shot and killed, according to East Jutland Police.

At the time, the Brabrandgruppen gang was in conflict with Sort på Sort, a gang formed by the Rosenhøj and Trillegården groups. The indictment says both defendants were members of the Brabrandgruppen and have been charged with murder under particularly aggravating circumstances.

The case has taken several years to reach the charging stage. The 31-year-old was arrested and charged in 2022. The 33-year-old was arrested by police in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2024 in connection with the case and was extradited to Denmark in the spring.

In addition to prison sentences, prosecutors are seeking the deportation of the 31-year-old and the removal of his Danish citizenship. They are seeking the deportation of the 33-year-old and a ban on his re-entering Denmark.

Both defendants deny the charges.