GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN (vip-booking) – Award-winning Swedish hip-hop artist C.Gambino was shot dead late Tuesday (June 4) night in what police believe to be a gang-related attack, adding another tragic chapter to Sweden’s ongoing struggle with gun violence. (It is important to note the late artist is NOT the American actor and rapper Childish Gambino).
The 25-year-old rapper, known for his enigmatic public persona and hidden identity, was gunned down in a public parking garage in the western city of Gothenburg. According to a police spokesperson, C.Gambino was shot at least twice in an apparent deliberate attack.
“There are links between the artist and one or more criminal networks,” the spokesperson said on Wednesday. “We suspect the crime has links to the gang environment,” he added without providing further details.
Sweden has faced an escalating issue with organized crime and gun violence in recent years. The country, home to 10 million people, has seen deadly shootings more than triple over the past decade, now surpassing levels in neighboring Nordic nations. Police estimate that around 62,000 individuals are active in or have connections to criminal networks.
C. Gambino, who had nearly one million monthly listeners on Spotify, maintained his anonymity by wearing a mask in public, including at last month’s Swedish Grammis Music Awards, where he was named Swedish hip-hop artist of 2023.
The police were alerted to the shooting by emergency calls and found the rapper at the scene. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The investigation is ongoing, with several individuals interviewed, though no arrests have been made so far.
