A holidaying off-duty Swedish police officer who stepped in to break up a brawl was beaten to death during a World Cup watch party.
A man has been arrested after 32-year-old father of two Christian Zedig was beaten to death at an outdoor big-screen viewing of the Norway versus Ivory Coast Football World Cup match on Tuesday.
Zedig, a Swedish police officer who was on holiday, is reported to have attempted to break up a fight on the historic Copenhagen waterfront between groups but was beaten to the ground.
Reportedly, a group of football fans celebrated Norway scoring a goal against the Ivory Coast and this led to some fans from the opposing team, who were of “a different ethnic background”, being “splashed by beer”. This led to confrontation.
Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet states the prosecutor in Copenhagen said Christian had suffered a strong impact to the neck, and “as a result of the blow, the victim suffered a fractured cervical vertebra”. He was rushed to hospital with a bleed on the brain for surgery but died on Wednesday morning.
The suspected killer [pictured, in a Copenhagen Police mugshot above right], fled the scene and was the subject of a police manhunt. The alleged perpetrator handed himself in to police on Friday morning but insists on his innocence. He has been remanded into custody pending further investigation.
Denmark’s newspaper of record Berlingske notes while the court has ordered the 31-year-old Congolese-heritage suspect must not be named at this time, he has previously served a seven year jail sentence for attempted murder.
While the death of Zedig, who is survived by his wife and two young daughters, was widely discussed on social media following Tuesday night’s attack it wasn’t confirmed until as late as Friday morning. Per reports in Swedish media, this was due to delays in Zedig being formally declared brain dead or legally dead, and at the time of publication Danish media is still reporting he is in life-threatening condition, despite his wife and employer both announcing his death.
Swedish National Police Chief Petra Lundh made the news official on Friday with a statement in which she said: “We have been reached by the very sad news that our colleague Christian Zedig has passed away. Our thoughts go out to Christian’s family, relatives and friends. We also think of his colleagues and all who mourn him. In this difficult time, we ask for respect for the family and their need to grieve in peace.”
There will be a memorial for Zedig in his native Sweden on Saturday.