Gunshot critically hurts man, 81, in new random Rotterdam shooting; Two killed earlier
Police in Rotterdam were investigating a seemingly random shooting that left an 81-year-old man badly wounded on Bommelerwaard. It was the third shooting in the past two weeks in the IJsselmonde District, with one man killed in each of the two previous incidents. A gunman has not been arrested in either of the three shootings.
The regional emergency services office sent two ambulances to the Bommelerwaard just before 10:10 a.m. on Thursday for a report of an injured person who needed resuscitation efforts. A trauma team was dispatched to the scene by helicopter a few minutes later. He was revived at the scene and transported to an area hospital.
"The police immediately started a major investigation," Rotterdam district police confirmed. Forensic investigators were collecting trace evidence, and police patrols were stepped up in the IJsselmonde District, Rijnmond reported. A police helicopter was hovering over the area. Witnesses were asked to come forward, and anyone with video footage from the area can contact detectives involved in the case.
The question remains whether this latest incident was related to the previous cases from last month. An individual who was on the Reyerdijk bicycle path found a seriously wounded 63-year-old man at about 9:40 p.m. on December 21. He was "bleeding profusely" from a gunshot wound, and was revived by first responders at the scene. The man died two days later at an area hospital.
Exactly a week later, a 58-year-old man was found critically injured from a gunshot at about 10 p.m. on the Cornelis van Beverenbrug, a bridge in IJsselmonde. He was treated at the scene, but died from his injuries soon after. Neither of the two previous victims have a link to the criminal underworld. Further, the two victims do not seem to be connected to each other, police said.
Police issued a public appeal asking for help identifying someone who may have been involved in the Roelantpad shooting. Surveillance footage showed the 58-year-old victim walking across the Cornelis van Beverenbrug, followed by a second man who was moving quickly to close the distance between the two.
A 20-year-old Amsterdam man was arrested this week as part of the investigation into the two shootings, but police said on Tuesday they do not think he was the gunman in either case. Police did not say what role they suspected the man of playing in the shootings.
While the three shootings happened in IJsselmonde, the previous two incidents took place on a Saturday evening while the third happened in broad daylight on a Thursday morning. The first two victims were middle-aged men, while the latest victim is older.
Investigators renewed their call for witnesses and footage from the first two incidents. At least 20 detectives were assigned to try and rapidly close the cases.
