Alphen Commemorates Ridderhof Shooting

Alphen aan den Rijn commemorates on Tuesday the shooting that took place two years ago in the shopping center Ridderhof. At 12 noon there will be a private memorial service organized by the city for the survivors and victims. Bas Eenhoorn, mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn, will lay flowers together with the shopkeepers' association of Ridderhof. In 2011 Tristan van der Vlis caused a massacre at the mall. In a hail of bullets, six innocent people were killed and 16 were injured. Van der Vlis then committed suicide at the checkout area of a supermarket. In a blog on his website, Mayor Bas Eenhoorn of Alphen thinks it is terrible that a division arose in the group of victims of the shooting tragedy in the Ridderhof 2 years ago. “A number of the people involved are dissatisfied with the way the question of guilt has been handled,” said Eenhoorn. “All those who experienced complications of the tragic shooting are entitled to attention and necessary guidance.” A group of 44 survivors and victims say that they will not go to the memorial. They find that the after care is unsatisfactory. Moreover, they say that they were never consulted whether a memorial service was needed.