Denmark charges suspect in Field’s shooting with murder
A man suspected of killing three people in the Field’s shopping mall in Copenhagen last July has been charged with murder and attempted murder, the prosecution service said on Wednesday.
"The 23-year-old man is accused of killing three people, a 17-year-old boy, a 17-year-old girl and a 46-year-old man", it said in a statement.
The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, has also been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder.
This represents an increase from the seven charges of attempted murder from an earlier charge sheet, which stated that four people were in life threatening conditions due to the attack and three others were also hit.
Arrested outside Field's just after the July 3rd shooting, the man, who has a history of mental health illness, has been detained in a closed psychiatric ward.
Investigators believe the attack was planned, Danish media have reported.
Copenhagen Police special prosecutor Søren Harbo described the case as “extraordinarily serious” and that it had been investigated “very carefully”.
“At the public prosecution authority, we have completed a thorough legal review of the extensive case material and have therefore pressed charges on that background,” he said in a press statement.
During a court hearing in November, police said they had interviewed witnesses 250 times during the investigation.
A charge sheet with more detailed description of the police charges will be released to the media on April 5th, news wire Ritzau reports.
Both the prosecution and the defence lawyer for the accused have stated that he accepts the factual circumstances as he recalls them.
He denies guilt with reference to criminal law paragraph 16, the Danish equivalent of the mental disorder or insanity plea in criminal cases.
The case has been scheduled to take place over six days at Copenhagen City Court from June 12th to July 5th.
READ ALSO: Danish taskforce concludes no single reason for Field’s shooting
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"The 23-year-old man is accused of killing three people, a 17-year-old boy, a 17-year-old girl and a 46-year-old man", it said in a statement.
The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, has also been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder.
This represents an increase from the seven charges of attempted murder from an earlier charge sheet, which stated that four people were in life threatening conditions due to the attack and three others were also hit.
Arrested outside Field's just after the July 3rd shooting, the man, who has a history of mental health illness, has been detained in a closed psychiatric ward.
Investigators believe the attack was planned, Danish media have reported.
Copenhagen Police special prosecutor Søren Harbo described the case as “extraordinarily serious” and that it had been investigated “very carefully”.
“At the public prosecution authority, we have completed a thorough legal review of the extensive case material and have therefore pressed charges on that background,” he said in a press statement.
During a court hearing in November, police said they had interviewed witnesses 250 times during the investigation.
A charge sheet with more detailed description of the police charges will be released to the media on April 5th, news wire Ritzau reports.
Both the prosecution and the defence lawyer for the accused have stated that he accepts the factual circumstances as he recalls them.
He denies guilt with reference to criminal law paragraph 16, the Danish equivalent of the mental disorder or insanity plea in criminal cases.
The case has been scheduled to take place over six days at Copenhagen City Court from June 12th to July 5th.
READ ALSO: Danish taskforce concludes no single reason for Field’s shooting
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