Two hurt in campground shooting; suspect's identity known
Two men, aged 22 and 41 years, were injured in a shooting on a caravan camp in Alphen aan den Rijn on Saturday evening. Investigators know the identity of the suspected shooter, but he is still at large, the police said in a statement.
The shooting happened around 7:00 p.m. on the caravan camp on Goudse Rijpad, according to the police. The injured men were taken to hospital. They are not in life-threatening danger, according to information the police received on Saturday night.
The suspect left his car behind in a ditch near the camp site, though of the man himself there is no sign. The police launched an hours-long search for the man, also deploying a helicopter, but it was to no avail. The man is still at large.
The police staked out one of the addresses where the suspect is believed to live. Two men were arrested there on Saturday night, when they sped away after spotting the police. They don't seem to be connected to the shooting and were later released, the police said. The police also searched a home on Compierepad based on information that the suspect was hiding there, but he wasn't found. The police spread his identity and information among police officers in the Alphen area.
According to newspaper AD, the victims are father and son. The older man was hit in the leg and the younger in the buttocks, their mother and grandmother said to the newspaper. They were working on a car when the shooter came by.
The victims and perpetrator know each other, residents of the caravan camp said to the newspaper. The perpetrator doesn't live on the camp site, but is dating a woman who lives there. There's been conflict between the perpetrator and victims for years. "It's been a breeding ground for tension for months now. All kinds of dark things are happening", one resident said to the newspaper.
While searching the caravan camp, the police discovered a small cannabis plantation. It was dismantled and removed by order of the Public Prosecutor.
