Police officer will face charges for shooting driver during failed traffic stop
A police officer will be prosecuted for shooting a motorist at a failed traffic stop in Leeuwarden in January 2024, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced on Tuesday.
The incident happened during the early hours of January 13, 2024. Two cops pulled over a car with two people inside on Drachtsterweg after receiving a report of a home invasion in the nearby village of Hempens.
“While the check was still underway, the two men got back into the car and drove away,” the OM said. The police officer fired multiple shots at the car, hitting the driver of the vehicle. There was a collision, and both people inside the car sustained severe injuries.
The Rijksrecherche, the department that handles internal investigations at government services like the police, investigated the shooting. This is standard practice whenever a police officer fires their service weapon.
According to the OM, the investigation “did not reveal any link between the shooting and the accident.” But the investigation did make clear that neither of the two men was involved in the home invasion in Hempens.
The OM concluded that the police officer shooting at the car and hitting the driver was not in accordance with the police’s instructions on the use of force. “This is a punishable offense,” the OM said. The cop will be prosecuted.
It is not yet clear when this will happen.
