Alkmaar officer cleared after shooting knife-wielding man during psychiatric admission
A police officer was cleared of wrongdoing after shooting a 54-year-old man in Alkmaar in the leg on October 29, 2024, when the suspect attacked officers with a kitchen knife during a court-ordered psychiatric admission.
The Rijksrecherche, the National Police Internal Investigations Department, concluded the officer acted appropriately because the situation had become immediately dangerous, according to Noordhollands Dagblad. The suspect, already known for previous violent behavior and mental health issues, was hospitalized for weeks and underwent multiple surgeries.
The man, identified as O.W., allegedly has schizophrenia and intellectual disability. He had spent eleven years in a TBS clinic following prior convictions. Recently he had allegedly stopped taking medication that controlled his psychoses. On the day of the incident, his mental state allegedly deteriorated, and he became increasingly confused.
His caregivers, anticipating difficulties, called police to assist with a mandated admission to a psychiatric clinic. The public prosecutor’s office said O.W. believed the officers were impostors and armed himself with a kitchen knife, attempting to stab three officers who entered his home. The prosecutor described the suspect as extremely violent and said the officers had no way to escape.
Initial attempts to calm O.W. by two officers allegedly failed. When he positioned the knife over his head and tried to stab officers through a partially open door, one officer fired a shot into his leg. A police dog also bit O.W. during the confrontation.
O.W. spent several weeks in the hospital recovering from his injuries and multiple surgeries. He told investigators he did not understand he would be admitted to a clinic and believed he was defending himself from fake officers.
The Rijksrecherche investigation confirmed the officer’s actions were justified. The prosecutor said that if the shot had not been fired, the officers’ lives could have been at risk.
A forensic psychologist concluded that O.W. was psychotic on the day of the incident and suffered from delusions, rendering him fully legally incompetent. The prosecutor recommended a new TBS order with forced treatment.
The impact on the officers was reportedly severe. Despite decades of experience, one officer ranked the incident among the top three most intense moments of his career. Both officers reported extreme fear for their lives, and one developed tinnitus from the gunshot, which now affects him when his children play loudly. Both officers have requested compensation for the trauma, asking 3,950 euros and 1,250 euros respectively.
In a related incident during the same period, GGZ staff delivering a court order to a different Alkmaar residence also faced threats. The suspect pulled a knife on the staff, prompting police to shoot him in the leg. The street was closed off, but no staff or officers were seriously injured, and the suspect was transported to the hospital.
