Teen killed in Amsterdam shooting had just graduated high school
Rivaldo, the 17-year-old boy shot dead in Amsterdam on Thursday, had just graduated from secondary school. “The future looked bright for him and his family,” principal Ed van der Hooft of his school, Praktijkcollege De Dreef, said on LinkedIn. “Sadly, he died from senseless violence.”
The boy was gunned down on a football field in the Meernhof neighborhood of Amsterdam Zuidoost on Thursday. First responders tried to resuscitate him, but it was to no avail. He died at the scene. The police arrested a 16-year-old for the shooting a day later.
This weekend, the police asked for more footage of the shooting, saying that various images are circulating on social media. The police are also looking for footage and information from before and after the shooting, hoping for insight into the motive.
“During the graduation ceremony on Thursday, 3 July 2025, we, as a school, bid a fond farewell to our students, including Rivaldo. Over the past few years, we traveled a meaningful path with him. This path culminated in a beautiful speech, and the future looked bright for him and his family. Sadly, he died last week due to senseless violence,” his school principal wrote.
Rivaldo’s family and the school are devastated, Van der Hooft said. “Full of disbelief, pain, incomprehension, sadness, and all the other superlatives available,” he wrote. “Everyone is now investigating what happened and who is responsible. But that won’t bring Rivaldo back.”
Van der Hooft pleaded to address the senseless violence within street culture. “Together with the police, the municipality, parents or guardians, and various organizations, we are working hard to break this grim pattern. However, we were not at the football field where he was shot.” Rivaldo’s death has only losers, the school principal said. “The roots of senseless violence are deeply ingrained in our society.”
The school is organizing a gathering for Rivaldo’s former classmates and their parents. “Rivaldo is a hero, and we will continue to remember him,” the principal said.
