Two Dutch women, 6 y.o. boy killed in New York

Two Dutch women and a 6-year-old Dutch boy were killed in a shooting in an apartment in New York on Tuesday. The perpetrator was also killed.

The victims are 47-year-old Linda Olthof from Deventer, her young son Jimmy, and a 38-year-old Dutch woman, AD reports. They were shot and killed by American man James Shields, Linda's ex husband. The other victim was his current wife. According to the newspaper, the police believe that Shields shot his son and the two women, and then committed suicide.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that three Dutch were killed, calling it a "terrible tragedy". The Ministry informed the victims' families, who will receive consular assistance. The process was started to bring the bodies back to the Netherlands.

Olthof was a teacher at the ArtEZ Institute for Arts in Arnhem. A spokesperson told AD that the news hit them hard. "It is a terrible tragedy and a great loss for us and the students."