Cops in court for fatally shooting Rotterdam suspect

Two police officers are in court on Thursday for the death of Rotterdam man Mike Stok. Stok died after being shot by the officers in 2013. The Public Prosecutor asked that the officers be acquitted, NU reports.

In April 2013 the two officers - a man and a woman - were confronted with the aggressive Stok on Fazanstraat in Rotterdam. The police were called in after Stok had harassed two female city guards who had find him for his dog not being on a leash. Stok, the father of one little girl, was shot in the back in the courtyard of his home complex.

Both officers had a chance to speak in the Rotterdam court on Thursday. The male officer, who fired the fatal shot, described the fleeing Stok as a "loose canon", saying that he ran right through a fence and gardens and made uncontrolled movements. The two officers believed that Stok might have harmed anyone who crossed his path.

According to the Public Prosecutor, the officers acted by the book in self defense, adding that in the eyes of the public, the police can do "no good". "What would the public's reaction have been if the officers had not acted and Stok had beaten someone to death? They had to make a split decision", the prosecutor said, adding that she agrees with their decision. "Events like this have no winners, only losers."