By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The 26-year-old, whose real name is Karar Ramadan, was one of Sweden’s biggest rap stars and was named Rapper of the Year last recently.
C. Gambino was shot at least twice in an apparent deliberate attack in a public parking garage in the western city of Gothenburg, a police spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The Gothenburg police spokesperson said there were links between the artist and one or more criminal networks.
“We suspect the crime has links to the gangs’ environment,” he said, declining to elaborate.
Sweden has struggled for years to contain violence linked to organised crime. Deadly shootings in the nation of 10 million have more than tripled over the past decade to exceed levels in neighbouring countries significantly. Police estimate 62,000 persons are active in, or h
C.Gambino, who has nearly one million monthly listeners on the Spotify streaming service, had kept his identity hidden and wore a mask in public, including at the Swedish Grammis Music Awards ceremony last month, where he was named Swedish hip-hop artist of 2023.
The late artist is not to be confused with the American artist Childish Gambino.
Police said he was found by officers who responded to reports of the shooting and pronounced dead in hospital. They said several people had been interviewed as part of the murder investigation but no one was yet detained.
In 2021, another Swedish rapper, Einar, whose real name was Nils Gronberg, was shot dead at the age of 19.
The year before, Einar was abducted and assaulted by rival rappers.