A man in his early 20s is in police custody until July 1 under suspicion of having caused his neighbour’s death. The suspect and victim had no relation to each other beyond living in the same triplex in Barðavogur 22 in eastern Reykjavík. The victim is believed to have died from head injuries caused by a hammer and/or blunt weapon.
Last Saturday night, capital area police received a call about an unconscious man in Barðavogur street. The man was found lying outside his home with serious head injuries and efforts to resuscitate him were not successful. His neighbour was arrested immediately after on suspicion of manslaughter. The victim was born in 1975 while the suspect was born in 2001.
Police have stated that the investigation is going well. They are collecting evidence at the scene and identifying witnesses, as well as interrogating the suspect, who did not resist arrest and has not appealed his custody.
The suspect and the victim are believed to have begun an argument inside the victim’s home, where the suspect hit him on the head. The man is thought to have then escaped to the yard, where he is believed to have died from his injuries.
According to RÚV’s sources, the police were called to the same location last Friday, one day prior to the incident. The third neighbour in the triplex landed in an argument with the suspect and both accused each other of physical assault. Neither pressed charges, however, and police say that arresting the suspect at that time would have been beyond their authority.
