UPDATED: A judge in Sandefjord has ordered that a 63-year-old man suspected of shooting three drug addicts in a local park on Friday be held in custody for at least four weeks, while police continue to investigate the dramatic daytime incident.
The man’s wife reportedly is providing an alibi for her husband, claiming he was with her when the shots were fired, but the judge at his custody hearing on Monday wants him held. He will be kept in complete isolation for the first week, with restrictions on communication and visits for the following three weeks.
The man was arrested Friday night after an all-day manhunt in the otherwise relatively quiet coastal town about two hours south of Oslo. He’s being held on charges of attempted murder after allegedly shooting two men and one woman in Badeparken, adjacent to the fashionable Park Hotel in Sandefjord.
Witnesses have claimed he had been walking his dog in the park when he encountered four people and allegedly criticized them for their drug habit. They reportedly quarreled and the man left, but allegedly returned later with a gun and started firing.
Three of the four people were hit and two remained in critical condition. The suspect now in custody denies having anything to do with the shooting, and his defense attorney told news bureau NTB that he has an alibi. He has no prior police record.
Views and News staff
