Hafnarfjörður Shooting Suspect In Police Custody After Five-Hour Stand-Off

Capital area police report a man in his seventies was arrested after he reportedly shot two cars—one occupied, the other not—outside an apartment building in Hafnarfjörður this morning.

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The incident lasted about five hours, beginning at 7:00 this morning when police first received reports of a shooting. The shooter voluntarily surrendered to police at 12:20, reports Vísir.

The shooter hid in an apartment building in the Miðvang area. Police negotiators contacted him by phone and later determined he was alone in the apartment. Police do not know what type of gun the man used. He did not fire again after the initial shots at the car.

The National Commissioner of Police sent an armed special unit to deal with the situation. Officers closed streets around the area and told residents to stay inside away from windows. Staff and children at the Víðivellir kindergarten across the street from the shooting were told to stay inside, and the Nettó store behind the block was closed during the police activity.

“One is just goddamn glad that no one was injured in this call,” says Skúli Jónsson, assistant chief of police in Hafnarfjörður.

About 30 police officers were involved in the operation. Skúli told RÚV that police are reopening the area and beginning a formal investigation.

“Residents in this apartment building have not come to terms with the fact that this happened, so there has been a lot of preparedness and work for the response parties, but now the natural research work begins, what was really going on there,” says Skúli.

The Red Cross helpline, 1717, is available to help individuals experiencing fear and distress following this incident.

This story has been updated as of 15:26 June 22 to include updated information from police. The suspect shot two cars, not one, as previously reported.