Suspect in fatal Amsterdam shooting jailed as case moves forward

By Janene Pieters on October 25, 2019 - 19:50
Scene of a shooting on Hugo de Grootplein in Amsterdam
Police set up a perimeter as first responders treat two victims after a shooting on Hugo de Grootplein in Amsterdam West. Oct. 23, 2019Photo courtesy of the author who wished to remain anonymous

The suspect arrested for a fatal shooting at La Piccola Baracca pizzeria in Amsterdam earlier this week is a 41-year-old man from Amstelveen, the police announced. The man was arraigned on Friday and remanded into custody for 14 days, after which the examining magistrate will reassess the need to extend his pre-trial custody, the Public Prosecution Service confirmed.

Authorities have not said if they think the suspect was the gunman during the violent incident on Wednesday afternoon. Both police and the prosecutor have only said the man was being held in connection with the shooting. He is in restricted custody, which means he is not allowed contact with anyone apart from his legal counsel.

Goran Savic, the 49-year-old owner of the pizzeria, was killed in the shooting on Hugo de Grootplein. Another man was seriously injured. Various media sources report that Savic was trying to protect his friend, the man who was injured, when he was killed.

The seriously injured man is believed to be criminal Jovan Durovic - an alleged organized crime figure in Montenegro with ties to Dutch gangland boss Willem Holleeder. The police have not confirmed this.

The 41-year-old Amstelveen man was arrested on Admiraal de Ruijterweg a short time after the shooting. A firearm was found in his car, according to the police.

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