Dutch mall shooting victims suing perpetrator's parents

Victims of a shooting in the Ridderhof mall in Alphen aan den Rijn almost six years ago, are suing gunman Tristan van der Vlis's parents for compensation. They believe the parents deserve part of the blame for ignoring the signs that their son was derailing, AD reports.

On April 9th, 2011 Tristan van der Vlis opened fire in the Ridderhof mall in Alphen aan den Rijn. He killed 6 people and wounded 17 others before turning the gun on himself. Thirteen of the victims who survived the attack are now suing the young man's parents, with the help of lawyer Lionel Lalji. They feel that the parents should have intervened before the situation turned into mass murder. The lawyer will focus on the parents' negligence to try and get compensation for the victims from the parents' insurance.

Adem Aksoy, one of the victims, is still reminded of the horrible incident every day. He was shot in the abdomen and managed to flee while Van der Vlis was reloading his weapon. "At company parties you are introduced as 'that guy from the shooting in Alphen'. People always want to talk to you about it. And every year, leading up to April 9th, the media calls again. I will always be confronted by this", he said to AD. "Fearing damage claims, everyone pushed the guilt to another. Excuses were never made. I want them, for closure."