Reykjavík Metropolitan Police closed off a large area surrounding the apartment complexes on Hlíðarhjalli 51-55 in Kópavogur yesterday and forced the evacuation of the building’s 150 inhabitants. Police suspected that someone was firing off a shotgun from an apartment on Hlíðarhjalli 53, but following a six-hour siege, the police broke into the apartment only to find it empty, mbl.is reports.
The police confiscated both a shotgun and ammunition but were unable to confirm whether the gun had been fired. The police stated that they had entered the same apartment the day prior and discovered evidence that a shotgun had been fired at a fence outside the building. The apartment’s owner had not been at home at the time.
Chief constable of the Reykjavík Metropolitan Police, Ásgeir Þór Ásgeirsson, told mbl.is at the scene that someone could have been shooting from the apartment earlier in the day, explaining that some time always passes between incidents being reported to the police and the police arriving at the scene.
“We must take such reports seriously to guarantee the safety of the public and police officers. We isolated the area we considered necessary for the operation,” Ásgeir stated.
The case is under investigation. Inhabitants of Hlíðarhjalli 51-55 were allowed to return to their apartments between 21 and 22 last night.
