Third victim, a 14-year-old girl, dies from injuries in Rotterdam shootings
Police in Rotterdam announced that a third person died as the result of two shootings in the Zuid-Holland city. The victim was identified as the 14-year-old girl who was taken from the scene of the first incident in critical condition.
A 32-year-old medical student from Rotterdam was arrested in connection with a shooting at a home on Heiman Dullaertplein at 2:10 p.m. that left a 39-year-old woman dead. The teenaged victim was the woman's daughter, said Fred Westerbeke, the district police chief.
The suspect allegedly set the home on fire after the shooting, and fled to the Erasmus Medical Center less than two kilometers away. Reports of shots fired first came from that location at about 2:21 p.m. A 46-year-old teacher was pronounced dead at the scene, having been shot in a classroom at the teaching hospital.
After the second shooting, the suspect set a different part of the hospital on fire. He was found below the Erasmus Medical Center's helipad, and was taken into custody by police.
Police asked for the public's help in figuring out more details about what led to the shootings and arsons, and for any relevant information related to the case or the suspect. His relationship to the family living in the Heiman Dullaertplein home has not been determined. The woman who was killed reportedly lived their with her three children, including the teenager who died. The suspect also lived in the area, police confirmed.
It also was not clear how the teacher who was killed was connected to the suspect, a student at the Erasmus Medical Center. "We cannot say anything at this time about the motive for this terrible act. The investigation is still ongoing," said Hugo Hillenaar, the head of Rotterdam's district office of the Public Prosecution Service.
Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said that it would be investigated if the teacher had ever failed the student, or somehow rejected him. "That will have to be investigated very carefully, but we will soon find out." Hillenaar added.
The suspect has a prior criminal conviction for animal abuse. The charges in that case date back to 2021.