Suspect facing 10 years in prison for shooting, fatal wrong-way drive crash

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) recommended 10 years in jail on Thursday in the court in Breda against 21-year-old Piet van O. from Drunen who, after a shooting in Roosendaal, was the sole survivor of a getaway car that went the wrong way down the road and survived a fatal accident on the A16.

Van O. is suspected of complicity in attempted manslaughter during the shooting on January 15 last year at the Burgerhoutsestraat in Roosendaal. A 19-year-old was injured during the shooting.

According to the OM, Van O. was planning on stealing weed or a car with the threat of violence that night along with two others. Two shots were fired, with one of these coming in a bicycle tunnel. Van O. allegedly arranged the firearm and was also the shooter, according to the OM.

“The ease with which the suspect has done this can be seen as gangster-like,” said the prosecutor about the shooting. “He was the initiator, arranged the firearm, and used it to shoot twice.”

In addition, the OM holds the suspect, as a passenger in the getaway car, partly responsible for causing the fatal accident, which left three people dead. The car drove down the wrong side of the road at 150 kilometers per hour and hit a 54-year-old Rotterdam, who died as a result of the crash. His partner and her 17-year-old daughter from Antwerp were injured in the crash.

“The accident affected us greatly. It destroyed our life,” the Rotterdammer’s partner told the court. “We are still suffering every day and are recovering from all the damage. Sadly, there is no magic formula to survive this.”

A 33-year-old person from Tilburg who was driving the car and a 17-year-old boy from Harreveld who was sitting in the back of the car also died because of the collision.

The suspect denies having shot at somebody in Roosendaal and emphasized during the hearing that he had no influence on the driver’s behavior in the getaway car or the boy’s behavior in the back, who filmed the reckless drive and the police chase.

Van O. had a troubled youth. Between the ages of 4 and 18, he was in ten different institutions. He has said that he is now trying to build up a new life in Drenthe, where he has converted to religion and lives with assistance. He still suffers from back pains due to the crash.

The case was set to continue Friday with the defense's arguments.