Terrifying moment Norwegian killer fires three arrows with a bow from supermarket during rampage that left five dead is revealed as he tells court 'I wish they were all alive still'
- Espen Andersen Bråthen, 38, is on trial for the murder of five people
- Today he said he wanted to apologise to all the people he shot an arrow at
- The killer let loose his bow and arrow on innocent bystanders in Kongsberg
- He then hacked his victims to death in a bloody rampage on October 13, 2021
- He faces five murder charges as well as the attempted murder of 11 more people
- Bråthen plead guilty to the murders before a court yesterday but his lawyers insist he needs mental health treatment in a psychiatric facility
By
DAVID AVERRE and
WALTER FINCH FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 11:07 EDT, 25 May 2022 | UPDATED: 11:57 EDT, 25 May 2022
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Norwegian bow and arrow killer Espen Andersen Bråthen has expressed regret for the murders he committed as the court released a new video of his deadly rampage.
On day five of the ongoing trial of the Muslim convert, who pleaded guilty to the murder of five people and attempted murder of 11 more in Hyttegata on October 12, 2021, Bråthen told the court that he wanted to explain himself.
Bråthen apparently told the court that he wanted to apologise to everyone he shot an arrow at, and that 'I wish everyone who was killed was alive'.
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His words of contrition come as the prosecution released new CCTV footage of Bråthen scampering to the entrance of the supermarket where the rampage started, his bow and arrow half drawn ready to fire.
After peering out into the street, the killer takes aim and fires an arrow at an unseen target, before momentarily returning inside to reload and fire two more arrows.
He is then seen stalking back into the Co-Op supermarket, where he then went off to commit a number of murders.
During the trial Bråthen had largely maintained his silence since last week, refusing to explain himself until today.
Norwegian killer goes on bow and arrow rampage leaving five dead
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The prosecution released new CCTV footage of Bråthen scampering to the entrance of the supermarket where the rampage started, his bow and arrow half drawn ready to fire
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After peering out into the street, the killer takes aim and fires an arrow at an unseen target, before momentarily returning inside to reload and fire two more arrows
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He is then seen stalking back into the Co-Op supermarket, where he then went off to commit a number of murders
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Espen Andersen Bråthen, 38, is on trial for the murder of five people and attempted murder of 11 more on October 13, 2021
Bråthen appeared calm and composed as he tried to explain himself but some of his answers appeared to baffle his own defence counsel, Fredrik Neumann.
He said that he feared he would go blind and therefore he was compelled to kill.
'There are people who get eye disease. They do not kill people for that, do they?' Neumann responded.
'If I were to be born again, I would have to kill,' Bråthen explained, supporting concerns by his lawyers that he is mentally unwell.
Previous CCTV footage, released by police as Bråthen's trial began, showed how the killer strode into the store brandishing a bow with a quiver of deadly arrows and a huge hunting knife sheathed on his belt.
Dressed in khaki trousers and a plain white vest, the killer loaded his arrows and let them fly at terrified civilians with no hesitation.
The 38-year-old pleaded guilty before a judge last week as the court heard how he stalked the streets of Kongsberg with dozens of arrows before stabbing five people aged 52-78, including four women, to death.
Speaking today, Bråthen explained how he tried to get into several apartments, but they were locked. Then he finally found an open door, and entered the apartment and committed his first slayings.
Chilling CCTV shows bow and arrow killer during supermarket rampage
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Dressed in khaki trousers and a plain white vest, the killer loaded his arrows and let them fly at terrified civilians with no hesitation
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CCTV footage, released by police as Bråthen's trial began, showed how the killer strode into the store brandishing a bow with a quiver of deadly arrows and a huge hunting knife sheathed on his belt
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The 38-year-old pleaded guilty before a judge yesterday morning as the court heard how he stalked the supermarket and the streets of Kongsberg with dozens of arrows
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After firing several arrows, wounding three people and evading police officers, Bråthen headed into the town and stabbed five people to death
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Kongsberg is a small town in southern Norway that straddles the Numedalslågen river with a population of about 26,000. It is known as the home of the Royal Norwegian Mint, houses the headquarters of a major arms manufacturer, and serves as a satellite campus for the University of South-Eastern Norway
The killer's first victims were Gunnar Sauve and Liv Borge, a married couple both aged 75 who were hacked to death in their ground floor apartment.
He went on to stab Gun Marith Madsen, a 78-year-old who walked with the aid of a zimmer frame, before attacking Andrea Meyer, 52, from Hamburg, and ceramic artist Hanne Englund, aged 56.
Between the killings he took a break, telling the court today at one point he went into the kitchen and got a glass of water.
One witness told the court today that, while at a friends' house, he suddenly noticed a man trying to open one of the windows.
'I saw he had a weapon with him. I was scared', the witness said. He said he fled into one of the bedrooms with his friends, where one called the police while another held the door.
It was fortunate for those in the apartment that Bråthen had not tried the front door, as the witness said it had been unlocked.
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Police released a photo of the arrows that Bråthen used in his crazed attack to in and around the Co-Op supermarket on October 12, 2021,
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Police provided this photo of the bow that Bråthen used as he stalked random people out and about and shopping
Another witness, Mathias Anger, who was with his husband at the time of the attack, told the court they saw Bråthen stabbing a woman in the street and ran over to help.
'I could not help her, because I saw a figure come out of a doorway' Anger said.
'I shouted to him; ''Are you crazy?'' He came over to me and made some dark noises.'
Bråthen then threw a large knife with such force that it created a shower of sparks when it hit the ground.
Anger's husband, Tomasz, also took the stand, and told the court he had 'dreaded' going there after the horror of what he witnessed, but 'it is important to come here and tell my story.'
Tomasz explained that he saw the killer standing over an injured woman in the street, and that both ran out to help her, upon which Bråthen threw the knife at Anger.
They fled from danger but returned moments later to try to save the woman Bråthen had been attacking.
'We tried to stop the bleeding. Then came the ambulance,' Tomasz said.
When questioned on why they had returned to the scene of so much slaughter and his own life had been threatened, Tomasz said: 'There was a woman in need. I am a health professional.'
Local police officer Rigoberto Villarroel, 48, was in the Co-Op Extra store with his family when Bråthen began shooting, and was hit in the back, but ultimately survived.
Bråthen, whose lawyers insist is insane and should be sentenced to compulsory mental health care in a psychiatric facility rather than a prison, told the court last week he thought he was going blind and wanted to kill people while he could see 'for a better life'.
'I got the idea that in order to be born again, in a good place, I had to kill. I thought, now I can go out and kill before I go blind,' the killer told the court.
'There is no danger of this happening again, because now I know that I will not go blind and that it is wrong to kill.
'I regret what I have done and wish that the people I killed were still alive. I very much regret it.'
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