Local residents react after fatal shooting near Nieuwmarkt: “Growing sense of disaster”

The shooting in a coffee shop on Kloveniersburgwal that killed a 33-year-old man from Zoetermeer on Sunday evening shocked the neighborhood. Although most local residents are not surprised, they are affected that such a fatal incident has occurred in their neighborhood.

Police have released the first details about the incident. The suspect is a 40-year-old man who was arrested in Germany yesterday after the incident. “He fled and, with the help of witnesses and camera images, we found out where and in which vehicle he was driving,” said Lex van Liebergen of the Amsterdam police. “We were able to arrest him in collaboration with the National Unit, the East Netherlands police and the German police, just across the border in Germany.”

The victim was shot in the coffee shop, after which emergency services quickly arrived on the scene. He was resuscitated in the case and transported to hospital, but ultimately died there from his injuries. “Terrible, it seems as if it is very easy to order these days,” said a local resident. Another adds: “It’s close to the bone, as they say in America. So yes, in that respect you do have a growing sense of doom, I would almost say. You just can’t escape that.”

The coffee shop was open again just before noon, but nothing could be seen of the shooting after the glaziers had finished. It is unclear whether the glass had to be replaced because of bullet holes or because of other damage. Although the neighborhood is shocked by the incident, for many people there is little change in their sense of safety, they say. “It’s not like I’m going out with trembling knees or anything,” said a local resident. “It may be, unfortunately, that you get used to certain things.”

To give evidence

Police spoke to several witnesses yesterday, but are still looking for more statements from people who were present when the incident took place. “We understand that people find it intense and wonder whether it is related to the criminal circuit or the relational sphere, but it is too early to say anything about that,” says Van Liebergen. “We would like to invite people to come forward if they have information about what happened.”