Rotterdam, double shooting and arson: at least 3 victims. Man arrested

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At least three people were killed this afternoon in the Dutch city of Rotterdam in two shooting incidents committed by the same man, first in a private home and then in a classroom at Erasmus University Hospital. The killer then set fire to both sites. Police arrested a 32-year-old suspect on the helipad of Erasmus University Hospital: a student at the same university, Rotterdam prosecutor Hugo Hellenaar said. The confirmed victims were a 39-year-old woman (the killer’s neighbour), her 14-year-old daughter – who died a few hours later from her injuries – and a 46-year-old Erasmus University teacher. There were also several injuries. It has not yet been possible to confirm whether the dead man was the suspect’s teacher. There is also no news about his relationship with the woman. Both Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and King Wilhelm expressed their shock and sadness for the victims.

What we know so far

A shooting incident occurred this afternoon in Rotterdam. The first incident occurred in a house in Heimann-Doulaertplein, in the Delfshavn district, where the person responsible also started a fire. The man then opened fire on a classroom at the Erasmus Medical Centre, killing a lecture hall teacher, and then also started a second fire at the hospital. Police believe he acted alone and that there are no other suspects. Eyewitnesses described the state of chaos that the hospital witnessed, as students and medical staff were ordered to leave the part of the complex where classes were held. Some patients were also transported in wheelchairs and hospital beds. Before one suspect was arrested, police described the shooter, who was carrying a gun, as tall with black hair, carrying a backpack and wearing headphones.

The man was arrested

“A 32-year-old Rotterdam resident has been arrested. He is suspected of involvement in two violent incidents. We rule out the possibility of a second man,” police wrote on X. The motive of the man wearing combat gear remains unclear. Rotterdam is often the scene of shootings, usually attributed to score-settling between rival drug gangs. In 2019, three people were shot dead while riding a tram in Utrecht.

Italian witness: “A lot of fear, perhaps for personal motives.”

“I heard gunshots and screaming, and there was panic everywhere. We ran towards the exit and left all our personal belongings.” It is the story of Beniamino Vincenzoni, 24, an Italian doctor living in the Netherlands, heard by the Italian news agency ANSA, who works at the Erasmo da Rotterdam University Hospital, the scene of one of the two shootings. Vincenzoni said, “The police arrested a man who entered one of the hospital’s classrooms and opened fire on a teaching doctor who was also calling him by name before shooting him,” and he did not rule out a personal motive.