Police shoot man during response to robbery at Hema in Ter Apel

A police officer shot a man in Ter Apel on Tuesday afternoon, injuring him in the leg. A witness told reporters at the scene that the suspect was trying to rob a Hema in the Groningen town when police arrived at the scene at about 1 p.m.

Eyewitnesses told Dagblad van het Noorden that the suspect tried to rob the retailer. A struggle ensued between the suspect and an officer, when the suspect tried to take the officer’s gun. That led up to the suspect being shot. It is unclear whether the officer was injured.

Police confirmed that officers were dispatched to a store on Marktstraat in Ter Apel, which is part of the Westerwolde municipality. They were sent there in response to a report of a disturbance.

At the scene, “a situation arose where shots were fired by the police,” the authorities said in a short statement. The suspect who was shot was treated for his injuries at the scene. He was arrested and transferred to a detention facility. His alleged crimes have not been announced.

The police would not comment on the report by Dagblad van het Noorden. For now, the police will not comment further about the officer’s use of a firearm. The independent Rijksrecherche office will investigate the case.

The organization is under the direction of the Public Prosecution Service and investigates all cases where police officers use a weapon. They will check whether “the firearm was used lawfully,” according to a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service of the Northern Netherlands, which is responsible for the matter.

It is not clear how long that investigation will take. Typically, a Rijksrecherche investigation is meant to help determine whether the use of force was justified, and whether strict protocols were followed. Prosecutors can then decide if an officer should be brought up on charges.