Care farm shooting suspect ordered to remain in custody

The 38-year-old suspect accused of shooting two people dead at a care farm last week, and killing a third person in a separate incident, was ordered to remain in custody at an initial court hearing on Monday. John S., from Oud-Alblas, will remain behind bars for at least 14 days, when his case and his pre-trial detention will be examined during the next hearing.

Shots rang out on Friday morning at Tro Tardi, a farm and care facility for people with disabilities in Alblasserdam, Zuid-Holland. "Emergency services mobilized en masse. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain for two people. A 34-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl died at the scene," the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said in a statement after the court hearing. "A 20-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy were critically injured, and remain in the hospital. A third person went into shock, and was treated by a doctor."

Two days before the incident, police also found the body of 60-year-old Johan Quist inside his shop in Vlissingen, Zeeland. The suspect sent letters to RTL Boulevard indicating that he killed the entrepreneur after arranging to meet him on a dating app. The two emails included photos from the crime scene, and a claim that he wanted to test out the weapon he had acquired.

"For five years I told general practitioners and mental health care [workers] about my obsession to buy a firearm," the suspect wrote. "I went to search other countries for this, but never dared to take a step. Until a few weeks ago." S. is believed to be a former client of the Tro Tardi facility.

"These emails are included in the criminal investigation," the OM confirmed. Prosecutors said police in the districts of Zeeland, West-Brabant, and the Rotterdam area are continuing the investigation under the OM's supervision.