An unfortunate incident happened in Stockholm, Sweden when police responding to calls shot dead a man with Down syndrome who was carrying a plastic replica gun in the Vaastra district of Sweden’s capital. The incident happened in the morning of Thursday, the 2nd of August 2018.

In a report from the Expressen tabloid, the man, identified as 20 year old Eric Torrell, left his home carrying a toy gun which was taken from a pile of toys. He is said to be showing to his neighbours who have mistakenly thought that it was a real gun and called the police.

Upon arriving at the scene, the police repeatedly called out Torrell to put the purported weapon down. They then deemed the situation to be “threatening” before three police officers opened fire and hitting Torrell in stomach. He was brought to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.

His mother, Katarina Söderberg, said her son is “loving” and the “world’s kindest person.” She added that Torrell had Down syndrome and also suffered from autism, having the mental age of a three-year old. He was mainly able non-verbal and usually able to say the word “mum” with his limited vocabulary.

His family is furious, accusing the police of lying as how can a man with a mental age of a very young child be threatening. They claim that they are in a state of shock after the incident.

Whilst none of the police officers have been suspected of a crime, the special prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation for possible misconduct. The police spokesperson said this is usually standard procedure when someone in the police force discharges a firearm.

There is no confirmation if the replica toy gun is a an airsoft gun, since airsoft is legal in Sweden. It could be just a gun-shaped toy that may have just looked like a real gun to the police. But it is always a stark reminder to everyone, especially to airsoft players, to be careful about carrying replica guns in public.

Top photo: Swedish Police vehicles at Stockholm Central Station (Source: Wikimedia)