The Ridge, known as Brunkebergsåsen, is an esker (a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel) from the ice age that stretches through central Stockholm. There are stairs (89 steps), and to the right side of the stairs, there is an escalator and a lift up to the ridge. There is also a walking tunnel from Tunnelgatan straight through the ridge, but it closes at 10 p.m.
Commander Christian D
Christian, serving in Police car 1520 with Thomas E as driver, was on Kungsträdgårdsgatan inspecting the starting point for Saturday's Swedish Rally Championship competitions when the alarm about the shooting came. Christian decided the best chance to intercept the perpetrator was up on the ridge, so the patrol immediately drove towards the area via Hamngatan, Regeringsgatan, and further onto David Bagares gata. The journey was quick (about 90 sec. with only blue lights activated).
When the patrol turned onto David Bagares gata in the direction of Malmskillnadsgatan, they noticed a younger man walking in the middle of the street – Lars J. The police car passed him without stopping. Further up the street, Christian D observed four policemen coming up the stairs.
Witness Lars J
Lars, who on this occasion was on his way down David Bagares gata, met the police car about the height of Johannesgatan. He made eye contact with the policemen in the car, but the patrol drove past without stopping, and Lars did not make himself known either.
He then looked into Johannesgatan to see if any person could be glimpsed, but the street was empty. Lars continued a bit further down David Bagares gata before turning around. When he looked up the street, he saw that the police car was now parked at the top of the street. He then made the decision to go forward and talk to the police.
The four police officers from 3230
The four police officers from patrol 3230 have now come up the stairs after meeting Yvonne and Ahmed. They are divided into two patrols.
Peter W and Klas G make up one of the patrols and turn left in the direction of Johannes kyrka
They stop on several occasions and shine their flashlights under scaffolding that was then along Malmskillnadsgatan. Once at the fire station, right where the church area begins, the two policemen stop for a short while. Klas turns around and looks south along Malmskillnadsgatan. He then sees the front of a police car and thinks he remembers that it is Claes D standing next to the car.
Klas and Peter continue through the cemetery via a park road, but do not make any observations inside the church area.
The other patrol, Claes D and Jan H, goes towards David Bagares Gata
They see Police Christian D in Unit 1520 come up to them. Down the street, they see Lars J walking up the street. This patrol then departs, and Unit 1520 backs down to meet Lars J.
Lars states that a man has been shot on Sveavägen, and that he followed the perpetrator but lost him along the street they are now standing on.
During the conversation, a radio call comes from patrol 2160, which has found a man matching the description at the intersection of Regeringsgatan and Mäster Samuelsgatan.
Christian D then orders Jan H to escort the witness Lars to the murder scene, where the police can record his information. Christian D then proceeds to assist patrol 2160.
Claes D is left alone at the scene.
[Commentary/Author's Note]: The fact that Claes D is left alone at the scene is a circumstance I will return to in the section on the police trail. Just a few minutes earlier, patrol 3230 had been in the area to park Claes D's private car, which is now standing a few meters further down the street. Claes D resides in this neighborhood, which explains why patrol 3230 is operating outside its regular district of Södermalm.
The man stopped by patrol 2160 was checked, and he stated that he had recently left the Chinese restaurant Peking on Regeringsgatan. The police verified this information, and an employee at the restaurant confirmed that the man had indeed just departed after being on the premises for at least two hours. The man identified himself and was subsequently released.
Christian D from patrol 1520 then went down to the crime scene.
At the Crime Scene
Police van 1230 from Norrmalm has now arrived at the crime scene. Staff from the patrol assist Gösta Söderström in cordoning off the area and collecting witness information.
Securing the crime scene
The police unit 1230, under the command of Christer Persson, arranged the first cordon of the crime scene.
Red-and-white plastic tape with the text POLICE was stretched across Sveavägen from the corner of the paint store Decorima, around a tree on the sidewalk, and around a pillar at the entrance to the subway.
Tunnelgatan was cordoned off from Decorima and diagonally across the street, but this cordon was immediately extended with a new one that blocked Tunnelgatan from its mouth towards Luntmakargatan.
witness Anders B
Anders B starts to walk home. Jan A, the passenger in Leif J's van, who has taken it upon himself to keep an eye on Anders, contacts a female police officer and says: "You have to talk to him – he must have seen something." The police officer is Lena L. She runs up to Anders, who has walked a bit south on Sveavägen.
No notes from the scene seem to have been preserved, but in later interrogations, Lena states: "It was difficult to get any details from him. He was drunk, but it was possible to have an orderly conversation with him, and he walked relatively steadily."
Anders B left the crime scene without knowing that Olof Palme had been shot. He was informed of this later in the night when the police called him at 2:25 a.m.
A Dog Patrol Arrives at the Crime Scene.
Police officer Karl-Erik A was patrolling alone in police car 2550 and had his service dog with him. At 11:36 p.m., they were ordered to Sveavägen-Tunnelgatan due to a shooting.
When he arrived at the crime scene, it was already cordoned off. He contacted Police Officer Christian D. It was felt that too much time had passed and many people had moved around in the escape area, but he was told to try on Malmskillnadsgatan at David Bagares gata. At this point, Karl-Erik had no idea who the victim was.
Up on Malmskillnadsgatan, he met several police officers and saw police cars on site. He judged it to be hopeless to try to track with the dog and therefore participated in a more general search in his car.
Almost an hour later, Karl-Erik learned that it was the Prime Minister who had been shot. In an interrogation, Karl-Erik states: "Had he known about this, he would undoubtedly have tried to track, even though the conditions were so bad."
Around 12:15 a.m., Söderström left the crime scene to go to the on-call detective unit to file a crime report. Söderström took a couple of witnesses with him in his car.
The crime scene investigation begins.
At 1:10 a.m., two crime scene investigators from the technical forensics unit, Inspectors Torsten K and Börje M, who were on call during the night, arrived and began a crime scene investigation. The head of the technical forensics unit, Commissioner Vincent Lange, also came to the scene. On his orders, the investigation was halted at 1:50 a.m.
At the Liaison Centre - SBC
The Stockholm Police Liaison Centre (SBC) - "The Pit"
At SBC, there is an Incident room that is reserved for serious events. In this room, a dedicated radio operator and protocol keeper work exclusively on the specific incident.
Anders T was appointed as radio operator and Birgitta B as protocol keeper.
When the room is to be put into use, a terminal needs to be moved. On the night Olof Palme was shot, there was no one at SBC who could connect the terminal, so they had to call in the SBC's handyman.
Around 11:50 p.m., Hans K contacted Police Superintendent Sune Sandström, who in turn contacted Deputy County Police Chief Gösta Welander. Both decided to go on duty and were transported to the SBC.
Gösta Welander and Sune Sandström arrive at SBC
After Welander and Sandström arrived at SBC around 12:30 a.m., Welander – and in his absence, Sandström – assumed supreme command of police operations in Stockholm.
Hans K informed Welander and Sandström about what had happened and what measures had been taken. Welander and Sandström approved the actions and made no changes to the ongoing work. Hans K then mainly devoted himself to the day-to-day operations at SBC, primarily focusing on other police activities taking place within the district during the night.
Åke Rimborn was on duty as field commander in VD5, the Skärholmen police district, on the night of the murder. He was assigned to patrol car 5520, with Thomas T as the driver.
Åke was having a Fika at SBC, he had previously worked in the unit known as “The Pit”, and wanted to stay in touch with former colleagues. While sitting there, listening to the police radio, they heard reports of gunfire on Sveavägen—someone had been shot.
When it became clear that the victim was Prime Minister Olof Palme, who had been taken to Sabbatsberg Hospital, Åke was ordered to proceed immediately to the hospital.
Sabbatsberg Hospital
When the ambulance arrived and Olof Palme was rushed into the emergency room, a nurse took care of Lisbet and took her to a room.
Two police commanders arrived at the hospital
Åke Rimborn and Lars Christianson Both arrived at Sabbatsberg Hospital shortly after Olof Palme was admitted.
from Lars Christiansons report
Lars meddelar SBC att han åker till Sabbatsbergs sjukhus de var första polisbil på platsen.
Around 12:30 a.m., I left the hospital to go up to SBC. I was called back to the hospital. The reason was that Mrs. Palme wanted confirmation that Ingvar Carlsson and Kjell Lindström had been informed.
from Åke Rimborns report
Åke arrives only minutes after the ambulance, Olof Palme had already been taken into the emergency room.
12:10
Mrs. Palme told us the following: She described herself as highly suspicious by nature, and said that she routinely looked out the window of her residence every evening. One night after the Christmas holidays, she had seen two men standing outside, observing the Palme family's apartment. She could not specify the exact date—it might have been a week or two after Christmas.
She noticed the men because one of them was particularly tall. Both were dark-haired. She could not determine their nationality. According to her, the men appeared to be between 40 and 45 years old. One of them was wearing a dark blue winter jacket.
She further stated that she believed she had seen that same man—the one in the dark blue jacket—running from the scene of the crime earlier that evening.
Finally, she mentioned that, in her opinion, the shooting might have been carried out by individuals connected to the organization Ustasja, She emphasized that this was her personal reflection, and that she did not want this information to be made public.
At about 1:30 a.m., the police drives members of the government (Ingvar Carlsson, Feldt and Gradin) as well as Dahlsten and press secretary Kjell Lindström to the hospital.
At around 2:00 a.m., Gösta Welander arrived to the hospital and met Ingvar Carlsson and also spoke to Lisbeth Palme.
Lisbet Palme lämnar Sabbatsbergs sjukhus.
At around 2:30 a.m., Lisbet Palme and Mårten leave Sabbatsberg Hospital, secret police drive them escorted by police to Lisbet Palme's home in Gamla Stan.
At the same time that Lisbeth Palme was leaving the hospital, the members of the government and Gösta Welander are driven to Rosenbad. At Rosenbad, Gösta gave a briefing about the security situation.
Nationwide Police Alert Issued
When Åke Rimborn come back to SBC he wrote text for the alarm
19901 PDSTH S
RIKSLARM, 86-03-01-020542
MORD, STOCKHOLMS PD
SIGNALEMENT PÅ GÄRNINGSMÄN EFTER BESKJUTNING AV SVERIGES STATSMINISTER.
2 GÄRNINGSMÄN, 40-45 ÅR, MÖRKHÅRIGA,
EN AV GÄRNINGSMÄNNEN ÄR PÅFALLANDE LÅNG,
EN AV MÄNNEN VAR IKLÄDD MÖRKBLÅ TÄCKJACKA,
TILLHÖR EV USTASJARÖRELSEN..
MEDDELA POLISEN STOCKHOLM, KCV, TFN 08-769 30 00.
19901 PDSTH S
Issued: March 1, 1986 – 02:05:42
Crime: Murder of the Swedish Prime Minister
Suspect Description:
Two male perpetrators
Aged 40–45
Dark-haired
One man described as conspicuously tall
One man wearing a dark blue winter jacket
Possible connection to the Ustashe movement
Contact: Stockholm Police, KCV Division – Tel. 08-769 30 00
In the 1980s, a man could wear just about any color jacket—as long as it was blue. Dark blue winter coats were so common that the description offered little help in narrowing down suspects.
When Gösta Welander arrived to SBC from Rosenbad he immediately removed Ustashe from the nationwide alarm. but it was too late in the morning papers the next day. everyone was talking about the Ustashe connection.
This became one of the reasons—if not the only one—why Lisbeth Palme refused to participate in any further interviews under formal investigative conditions. She did not want to be formally questioned, recorded, or confronted in the manner typically used in a murder investigation.
A few years earlier, the Ustasja organization had threatened her family, and Lisbeth took it very hard when her sons had to be escorted to school by bodyguards.
Crackdown on the Illegal Gambling Club Oxen
At 1:15 a.m., the police conducted a raid on the illegal gambling club Oxen, located in the basement of a building on Oxtorgsgränd 2.
Christian D is the commander of the operation. They are gathering at Sergelstorg before the raid. 2 police vans and 4 police cars – three of the cars unmarked – are used in the operation.
Christian sends the plainclothes patrols to survei the address and follow visitors without arousing suspicion from any potential doorman. The exact location of the premises within the building is unknown. After only a few minutes, the plainclothes officers manage to enter together with visitors and locate the premises two floors down. The tactical unit is ordered forward to carry out the raid. The result is meager. There are only 12 individuals present at the club.
During the search of the premises, a power of attorney written by Christer Pettersson was found, which came to play a significant role in the case against Christer.
The police left the club at 3:00 a.m.
At 4:00 a.m., the first TV broadcasts about the murder began to air.
The Swedish Government Holds a Press Conference.
At 5:15 a.m., the Swedish government convenes a press conference at Rosenbad to address the assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme.
Mårten Palme contacts Police
Around 4:30 a.m. Mårten contacts the police, he has new information to provide. Police drives him from his parents' home in Gamla Stan to the police headquarters.
At 5:30 a.m., a questioning begins in Commissioner and Head of the Violent Crimes Unit Nils Linder's office. Present are, not counting Mårten Palme, Detective Inspector Börje W. and Superintendent Gunnar Severin
Mårten recounts that immediately north of the bookshop, where he had spoken with his parents outside the cinema, he saw a man looking into the dark shop window. As Mårten passed, the man looked at his parents and began to move in their direction. Mårten describes the man as about 40 years old, approximately 5'11" (180 cm) tall, with a sturdy build. He was wearing a blue quilted jacket that was quite long, reaching well down his legs, and a cap with a button on the brim. Mårten and his girlfriend turned around and walked north along Sveavägen towards the cinema, while the Palme couple continued south on Sveavägen towards Kungsgatan.
A Bullet is Found
Alfred de Tavares, an Indian freelance journalist, was woken in the morning by an acquaintance who told him about the murder. He made his way to the crime scene. After putting himself into a state of self-hypnotic trance that heightened his senses, he began searching for the weapon. While searching a trash can outside the Ving Travel agency at 📍Sveavägen 29, Alfred saw a bullet lying on the ground.
He picked up the bullet and gave it to P4 Stockholm reporter Agneta Askelöf, who was on site to cover the murder. Agneta, live on air, handed the bullet over to police at the scene.
Police Bo L shows the bullet found by Alfred de Tavares.
