– The fact that you know the person in question makes it more special. Many of us know who she was, says Petter Nesset.
He meets NRK in the streets of Arendal right outside Boots’ pharmacy where a female employee in her 30s was killed on Tuesday morning.
Nesset says it makes a special impression when you know the person who has been killed.
– I found her to be particularly service-friendly and a very good person. She had many good relationships in the city, he says.
The police are still looking for an unknown perpetrator and have no suspects.
Flowers have been laid outside Boots’ pharmacy in Arendal.
Photo: Anna Rut Tørresen / NRK
Feel unsafe
Nesset says many people in the city feel strong emotions.
– When people are killed for no reason at all, you become both sad, angry and upset. There are many thoughts in relation to that.
Aina Olsen is also on a city trip this Thursday. She finds the situation uncomfortable.
– It is a special situation and feels quite unsafe, says Olsen.
When a murder alarm was sounded on Wednesday, the police stepped up the alert. There are both civilian and uniformed police officers on the streets.
Olsen thinks it is safe to see many police officers in the city.
– It is positive that the police are so visible after such an incident.
Aina Olsen thinks it is unsafe to walk in the city when a perpetrator has still not been caught.
Photo: Anna Rut Tørressen / NRK
The police were at the school
Erlend Ellefsen and Magnus Havold are pupils in the 9th grade at St. Fransiscus school in the city centre.
They tell about a special school day.
– There are guards everywhere and we are not allowed to go down to the city anymore. The police have also been to the school to talk to us, says Erlend.
– What did they say?
– That we don’t need to be afraid now, and that the killer is probably not in town anymore.
Armed police patrol the streets in Arendal on Thursday. Emergency preparedness has been raised due to the murder by an unknown perpetrator on Tuesday.
Photo: Erik Wiig Andersen / NRK
The two friends say they think the murder is a bit scary.
– It is scary that it happened here in the city, but we are not too affected by it, says Magnus.
Erlend Ellefsen (tv) and Magnus Havold were visited by the police at the school today.
Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / NRK
– A goofy atmosphere
Eigill Vonen is general manager at the clothing store Corner, which is a stone’s throw from the pharmacy.
He says there are many rumors in town now about what has happened.
– I notice that people are curious, but also scared. There has been a good atmosphere in the city these two days, says Vonen.
The police have previously asked people not to spread rumours.
– We have an urgent appeal to the public not to join the rumor dance, and that they relate to the factual information that comes from the police, says Vanja Bruvoll to NRK.
Eigill Vonen in the clothing store Corner came to work at 10 o’clock on the day the murder happened just across the road.
Photo: Erik Wiig Andersen / NRK
– Could have happened to anyone
Eigill Vonen in the clothes shop has noticed that it is much quieter in the streets than it usually is.
On Wednesday morning he was going to open the shop and then he thought a lot about the incident that had happened just a stone’s throw away.
– It was very strange to think that this was what she was also going to do, and a tragic situation also happened. In theory, the incident could have happened to anyone, says Vonen.
The police are heavily present in the center of Arendal these days.
Photo: Erik Wiig-Andersen / NRK
NRK has spoken to several other shop owners in the area who do not want to appear with their names and photos.
Most of the shops have cameras inside, but not out on the street.
One of the shop owners says he knew the deceased as a customer. He describes her as very helpful.
– She always tried to find products and solutions for the customers, says the shop owner, who is strongly affected by the incident.
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Published 04/04/2024, at 15.22 Updated 04.04.2024, at 18.22