American imprisoned for 105 years in Indianapolis shooting that killed Dutch soldier
An American man was sentenced to 105 years in prison for shooting and killing the Dutch commando soldier Simmie Poetsema and wounding two other Dutch soldiers in Indianapolis in 2022, NOS reports. He was convicted in January.
The Dutch soldiers were in Indianapolis, the capital of the state of Indiana, for training. After a night out in August 2022, the 26-year-old Dutch soldier was walking to his hotel with his colleagues when they encountered Shamar Duncan and his two brothers. Local media reported that the Americans were looking for a fight, and there was a physical altercation between the two groups.
When the fight broke up, the American got into a pickup truck. A short time later, the vehicle turned around and the Americans opened fire on the Dutch soldiers. Poetsema was shot in the head. He succumbed to his injuries in a hospital. His two colleagues were injured but survived the attack.
The local police tracked down the pick-up truck with the help of license plate scanners and arrested and charged Duncan. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison for murder, 35 years for attempted murder, and 10 years for aggravated assault.
When he was convicted in January, Duncan said that he had not intended to kill anyone. He apologized to Poetsema’s family and apologized to his own family for disappointing them.
