No charges against cop who shot knife-wielding suspect on Christmas Eve

A police officer who shot a knife-wielding suspect on Hoofdstraat in Apeldoorn on Christmas Eve, will not be prosecuted. The Public Prosecutor concluded that the officer's actions were justified, following an investigation by the Rijksrecherche - the department that handles internal investigations at the police, De Stentor reports.

The officer shot the 40-year-old man from Enschede in the aftermath of a stabbing. The man injured three people with a knife on Hoofdstraat on Christmas Eve. The officer who was first to arrive saw the man make stabbing motions towards another man. The officer shouted at him to drop the knife. When he did not respond, the officer shot him in the foot. He was overpowered and arrested.

The Public Prosecutor concluded that the Enschede man posed a serious threat to the people around him that evening. There were many people on the street at the time, as it was closing time for the pubs. "Of an officer it may be expected that he act in such situations and prevent the danger", the Prosecutor said.

The 40-year-old suspect will appear in the court in Zutphen on June 8th.