Two men assassinated on Rotterdam street

Two men were killed in a shooting on Rhijnauwensingel in the Rotterdam neighborhood of Beverwaard around 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Given the large number of shots fired, the police believe this was an assassination. The victims were 25 and 26 years old, both from Rotterdam, RTL Nieuws report.

The two victims were sitting in a parked car when a passing car opened fire on them. One victim died almost immediately, the Rotterdam police said on Twitter. Emergency services tried to resuscitate the other victim, but to no avail. He too died at the scene. The white Seat Leong the victims were sitting in, is riddled with bullets, according to the broadcaster. A stray bullet ended up in the home the car was parked in front of. The resident was not injured.

Witnesses saw a dark colored car speed away from the scene immediately after the shooting.

The police closed down the crime scene and investigated there well into the night.

Local residents are shocked by the double assassination, they said to newspaper AD. There were many children in the area, due to a Christmas dinner at a nearby primary school. According to the residents, one of the victims lived in the neighborhood. He was the father of two children. The other victim was his friend.

The local residents believe that an automatic firearm was used. The police are still investigating what type of weapon was involved, police spokesperson Sandra van der Hoogt said to AD. According to her, witness statements and the number of bullet holes in the car show that a large number of shots were fired in a short period. "But what weapon exactly was used, we don't know yet."

The police call on witnesses to come forward. Investigators also want to make contact with any local residents that have surveillance cameras on or around their homes.