A gunman dressed in war gear went on a rampage through a home and hospital in Rotterdam, killing a 14-year-old girl, her mother and teacher.
A Dutch student, 32, was arrested in connection with Thursday’s double shooting and arson at Erasmus Medical Center and a nearby home.
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The suspect, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was arrested by Dutch police Credit: Snapchat
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Students flee hospital during shooting Credit: Rex
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A shooter is believed to be responsible for large fires at both locations
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Armed police officers rushed to the Erasmus University Medical CenterCredit: AFP
Police have now confirmed that the attacker killed three people – a 39-year-old woman, her 14-year-old daughter and a 43-year-old teacher from the hospital.
Police Chief Fred Westerbeke said the suspect was wearing a bulletproof vest when he shot and killed the victim and wounded her teenage daughter at their home in the first shooting.
The girl later died from her injuries.
The attack took place in a house in the western part of the port city on Heiman Dullaertplein – close to the suspect’s house.
Then the attacker, armed with a gun, traveled on a motorcycle to the nearby Erasmus Medical Center where he shot and killed a teacher in a classroom.
Rotterdam’s chief prosecutor, Hugo Hillenaar, said the attacker was known to police after being convicted of animal abuse in 2021.
He was accused of shooting a pigeon with an arrow and abusing a rabbit by kicking or punching it in a bush.
The suspect was a student at Erasmus MC and was going to become a doctor.
The State Prosecutor’s Office informed Erasmus of his conviction.
The attacker also set two large fires at both locations.
The identity of the 32-year-old has not yet been released.
Officers are still investigating the motives of the suspects behind the double shooting and arson.
An investigation is underway as to whether he was a student of the murdered teacher.
One possible theory police have is that he was rejected for a course at the university hospital.
Authorities believe the woman and her daughter were close neighbors of the suspect, prompting Police Chief Westerbeke to suggest they were “targeted attacks.”
Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said “I am angry and sad” as he spoke of a “black day” for his city.
“We are shocked by the terrible incident… emotions are running high in the city,” the mayor told reporters.
The shooting sparked mass panic as hospital staff, students and patients were forced to flee for their lives or were dragged out while still in their beds to escape the gunman and the fire he started.
Footage from the scene showed heavily armed police units wearing body armor storming the hospital, as helicopters buzzed overhead.
“First there was a shooting on the fourth floor. Four or five shots were fired. Then a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the education center,” the medical student told RTL Nieuws.
“There was a lot of panic and screaming… I didn’t hear any shots, just panic, and I started acting on that,” the unnamed witness told NOS.
One patient, Angeliek Vleesenbeek, said she was standing outside the hospital drinking coffee when pandemonium broke out.
“It was drama. It really was drama,” said the 54-year-old, still connected to her IV.
The sole suspect is now in police custody after an emergency manhunt ended when he was arrested at the teaching hospital’s helipad.
The attacker was taken into custody, and Chief Prosecutor Hillenaar told reporters that he cooperated with police after his arrest.
“We cannot say anything about the motive of this terrible act at the moment. The investigation is still ongoing,” he added.
The entrance to Erasmus MC remains closed as students were seen walking in tears and doctors stood by patients in wheelchairs.
The investigation into the double shooting is ongoing, police said.
The Erasmus Medical Center has reopened its doors to visitors, and will start receiving patients again from Friday.
Erasmus University has canceled all classes for tomorrow and will offer counseling to students.
This year, Rotterdam was the scene of a series of shootings and minor explosions blamed on rival drug gangs.
In July, two people and a gunman were injured during a shooting at a summer festival in the city.
And in 2019, three people were shot on a tram in Utrecht, which sparked a massive manhunt.
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Police are looking for more victims in the hospitalCredit: AFP
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A large fire broke out near the house of the first victimCredit: EPA
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Emergency services work to extinguish the fireCredit: EPA
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Heavily armed elite police units in front of Erasmus Hospital Credit: Rex
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Doctors and patients ran for their livesCredit: AFP
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Police have launched an urgent search to locate the shooterCredit: AFP
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The police raided the hospital and caught the suspectCredit: EPA
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The 32-year-old suspect was arrestedCredit: AFP
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Source: newstars.edu.vn