Why is this not bigger news? Boy killed by grenade

[cantshakeitoff]

A British 8 year old boy was killed by a grenade in Sweden last night.

I've scrolled down the entire from page of the daily mail and bbc news and its down at the bottom.

It's such horrendously sad news, but it doesn't seem like anyone cares? Are we immune to children dying under horrible circumstances?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37161752

It is terrible and strange on so many levels. Maybe there is not much reporting as police are investigating. Maybe there are not many answers. Neighbours usually interviewed, though.

It came up on my FB news feed (the independent) straight away, but I'm local to his family home (ish) so maybe that's why I saw it?

There was very little info though when I saw it.

But maybe it's plain old racism?

"Police are investigating the possibility the grenade was thrown as a revenge attack in a gangland feud." From sky news.

It doesn't say if the relatives the little boy's family were visiting were involved in the feud, in which case the poor little chap was very unfortunate to be visiting them at that time.

Or maybe it was a case of mistaken identity by the perpetrators. "The incident has been given a preliminary classification of murder/manslaughter by authorities, who also said that individuals convicted of serious violent crimes were living in the residence." The little boy's father is quoted as saying that he did not expect Sweden to be connected with violent crime and explosions. It would have been disingenuous to say that if the extended family was comprised of any of those very individuals convicted of violent crime?

Who knows why so little information is out there. Maybe they don't want to compromise the investigation. In any case, whether a mistake or by family criminal association, a young boy was the casualty of callous murdering thugs.

www.thelocal.se/20160822/child-dies-in-swedish-apartment-explosion

Seems Gothenburg has a gang violence problem.

www.thelocal.se/20160823/what-happened-in-gothenburg-is-part-of-a-cycle-of-violence-sweden-biskopsgarden

www.thelocal.se/20160822/child-dies-in-swedish-apartment-explosion

It is reported in the Swedish media. The eight year old boy was not the only child casualty in these gangland murders. It says in that report above that a four-year-old girl died last year in a car explosion linked to ongoing gang wars in Gothenburg. It seems the murderers don't care too much who is collateral damage.

I've been reading about this story in Swedish newspapers (well, on their websites) and as far as I can ascertain, a gang member who had just been sentenced to life in prison for shooting dead two people last year was registered at the address. The attack seems to have been carried out by a rival gang as some sort of revenge for his crimes, although the conflict between the two gangs dates back to 2012, from what the local paper (Goteborgs-Posten)says. There have been previous shootings and car bombs all related to the same conflict. The boy who was killed was visiting relatives at the address at the time of the attack.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/23/boy-killed-in-sweden-grenade-attack-might-have-survived-if-he-sl/

To probably labour the point, it was also reported in the UK media. I suppose there is not much to say about it in relation to circumstances. It seems it was a revenge attack for the boy's relatives having shot and murdered and injured people in a restaurant.

It seems a relative of the boy's father was given a life sentence for involvement in the restaurant shootings. Maybe he was one of the two men who killed two people and injured 10 others. Father disingenuous to feign surprise at violence in Sweden if perpetrated by his own family. If a gang war was happening, was it the best idea to put your children into harms way?

They say the little boy might have survived if he was on the floor rather than a bed.

From the telegraph article

"A gang war has raged for five years in the district between the North Gang, which is ethnically Somali, and the South Gang, which is predominantly from the former Yugoslavia."

“From the beginning it started with a jealousy fight between two buddies which ended in a murder. But right now they are fighting about money and drugs, and a lot of other things,” Mr Fuxborg said.

Was the boy's father not aware of this?

I think that there is bias. This poor little boy was from a scummy family with alleged gang links. The press saves its column inches for children from naice families who die in the sea whilst swimming with their blameless parents. All child deaths are horrifically sad, but some illicit more sympathetic interest than others.

The exception to the "naice" rule is dog attacks, I think. Here, the press can have a field day on the topic of trophy dogs in lower socioeconomic households.

It's awful, a child has died and for the stupidest of things - gangwarfare.

It seems to be a huge problem in that area in Sweden now. It seems that more besides him have died too. What a waste.

cantshake Why should only horrible circumstances be reported? What about children dying in car accidents? Why only children? Why only Western children, not those in Syria getting their own reporting?

I suppose that when a child is killed we feel as if something has been taken before time, it has an added poignancy, it resonates especially with those of us who are parents. All those who are killed before their time are worthy of our grief no matter where they are.

Caroldecker, I don't think only horrible news should be reported.

And I don't think British children's lives are worth any more than those of Syrian children.

But we do tend to relate more to things happening closer to us and we tend to think murders are worse than accidents.

I'm genuinely surprised this isn't bigger news.

Diegetic, "I think there is a bias. This poor little boy was from a scummy family with alleged gang links."

The little boy, Yuusuf Warsame, was staying at the address of Ahmad Warsame. I suppose you could speculate on whether this is a relative or an unrelated Warsame.

Ahmad Warsame was just given a life sentence for involvement in an attack, when two men opened fire in a nearby bar, killing two people and injuring more than ten others. I don't think a conviction giving a life sentence is based on a tenuous allegedly.

Was the father, Abdiwahid Warsame, completely unaware the little boy was being brought into the midst of all that? Did he not know about what appears to be a notorious feud involving ongoing tit for tat murders? Whether by explosions or shootings. Or the lifer of the same surname as himself at the property his son would be staying at.

I don't know who is to blame or who is at fault or negligent of the child's safety. Maybe an exposé or report into the gang underworld in gothenburg/Sweden. And the relatives he visited. Were his own parents/relatives careless or simply ignorant of the danger he was in? Of course, the perpetrator(s) is ultimately responsible, but the gang the Warsame guy was in carried out vile murders involving children too. Poor kids caught up in all this cr*p. Their families have to bear some responsibility in all this.

If you google it, there is information out there and it has been reported on. I suppose the police investigation can't be compromised by too much information given to the public before arrests or convictions for this latest murder.

According to UNICEF 29,000 children under 5 day every day, nigh on 90,000 since your OP.
1 Swedish child in gangland war, not news in the UK.

The boy lived in Birmingham. He was not Swedish as far as I can tell. I don't know if the mother had Swedish nationality. Father is a Dutch national.

It was reported in Birmingham mail too.

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/yuusuf-warsame-tragic-sparkhill-schoolboy-11786655

The father said he cannot travel even though his passport is not out of date. He says he needs to be issued with travel papers and the dutch need the boys death certificate for that. I can't make out from the video what is wrong. I don't understand that as Sweden is in EU.

Who says it wasn't reported on. Even the Daily Mail has it.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/2714887-Why-is-this-not-bigger-news-Boy-killed-by-grenade?watched=1&msgid=63182062#63182062

Mother a Dutch national, too.

"In recent years, there have been grenade attacks, shootings and incidents of car arson.
The issue has been one of the main topics of Sweden's political debate this summer, as cars have been torched in the neighbourhoods on an almost nightly basis."

It doesn't seem to have been the first grenade attack. It seems a place where you 'takes your chances'. Certainly staying at that address. Over the drugs market, apparently.

It featured prominently in the news here (I'm in Denmark at the moment), and was the second story on the non-UK version of the BBC news website.

And extortion racket.

The media are too busy reporting about whether Corbyn sat on a train floor or not.

However this HAS been reported on. I've seen it in the news several times. Poor kid died in his mother's arms on the way to hospital.

It was certainly in the news here in Sweden.

Poor little kid. There's a big problem with gang violence in Gothenburg and Malmö and the police havent managed to get a grip on it at all. they're overwhelmed at the moment too with big increases in violent crime and sexual assault (absolutely nothing to do with the massive influx of young male migrants, no siree Bob, nothing to see here, move along, you racist!)

utterly depressing. What chance does a kid have to live a law abiding life when they're brought up by violent gang associated thugs? Poor thing :(