Prosecutors have charged two men, aged 31 and 33, with the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Søren Koch in Viby J in March 2022.
The prosecution service at East Jutland Police announced the charges on Monday, more than four years after the killing. DR reports that the two men are accused of shooting a randomly selected man in Viby J.
Søren Koch was shot and killed one night in March 2022. He was sitting in his car at a gas station in Viby J when he was hit. Police believe he was an innocent victim caught up in a gang conflict.
The two men are charged with murder under particularly aggravating circumstances under Section 81 a of the Danish Criminal Code. That provision is commonly known as the gang paragraph. Both men deny the charges, according to DR.
A four year investigation
The case against the two men has been years in the making. One of them was first charged in November 2022, DR reports. The second man was arrested by police in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in September 2024 in connection with the case.
After a lengthy extradition process, that man was handed over to Danish authorities in May 2026. In the same month, police received information that the murder weapon had been thrown into the harbor in Vejle. Officers sent divers into the harbor to search for it.
According to DR, it remains unclear whether a weapon was recovered during that search. Investigators have not published further details about the dive operation.
Senior prosecutor Rikke Schmit stated that the lengthy investigation has clarified the case to a degree that allows charges to be filed. Per Schmit, the case must now be put before the court. The court will assess the evidence and reach a decision.
No trial date has been set. DR notes that it is still unknown when the case will be heard in court.
The scene in Viby J
The shooting took place at the intersection near the OK gas station by Viby Gymnasium in Viby J, a district in the southern part of Aarhus. The victim was found dead in his car at the site.
Photographs from the location, published by DR and credited to Liv Kastrup for Ritzau Scanpix, show letters hung by the family on the electrical boxes at the corner. The letters are addressed to and about the man who was killed.
Cases involving Section 81 a carry the possibility of increased penalties when a crime is linked to a conflict between groups. Questions about gang violence and safety in Denmark have followed the case since 2022.
The two defendants remain charged but not convicted. Under Danish law, guilt is determined by the court.
