Police shoot man in Assen after firearm report

A man was shot by the police in the center of Assen on Tuesday afternoon, after the police responded to a report of three men walking around with a firearm. The man was hit in the groin and arm, but is in a stable condition, the police said, NOS reports.

The shooting happened on Rolderstraat. Two of the three men mentioned in the report were quickly arrested, but the third fled. "He went towards a home. A situation arose in which officers had to fire a warning shot. They also shot at the suspect", a police spokesperson said to RTV Drenthe. The man was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment. Whether the men actually had a firearm, as the reporter had said, is unclear.

The Rijksrecherche, the Public Prosecution department that handles internal investigations at government services like the police, will investigate the shooting. This is standard procedure whenever a police officer fires their firearm with injury or death as a result.

In the first half of this year there were seven police-involved shootings, in which three people were killed and four hurt, the Public Prosecution Service announced earlier this week.