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The scene near a shooting in Hoofddorp that left one woman dead. June 22, 2015 (photo: rene_Schiphol / Twitter)
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The scene near a shooting in Hoofddorp that left one woman dead. June 22, 2015 (photo: rene_Schiphol / Twitter)
Monday, 17 August 2015 - 16:13
Report: Police knew of ex's gun ownership before fatal shooting
The police knew that Ferry de G., the man suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend in Hoofddorp in June, owned a firearm and was a member of a shooting club. The victim, 34 year old Raja Draaisma, also reported to the police that the man was eavesdropping on her and that she found listening devices in her house and car.
A spokesperson for the police confirmed this to NOS on Monday.
Draaisma reported the listening devices to the police a month before she was shot down in front of a pizza place in Hoofddorp. Ferry de G. turned himself in to the police the next day. The police went to see the man after the report, but did not confiscate his firearm. This was because the woman had not pressed charges, because De G. had no criminal record and because there have never been irregularities in the annual checks related to a firearm license. The police would not comment on whether this firearm was used to kill Draaisma.
The police spokesperson told the broadcaster that they advised Draaisma to press charges, but she refused because she first wanted to discuss the matter with her ex. Her family told the Telegraaf on Monday that Draaisma was angry because the police did not take the matter seriously. "The cop literally said: call again if something really happens, miss. The is a better chance of a plane falling on your roof, than him doing something to you", one of Draaisma's family members said to the newspaper.
The police are now investigating whether De G. had submitted valid documentation for his firearm license.
This case bears similarities to the murder of nurse Linda van der Giesen in Waalwijk last week. Van der Giesen's ex-boyfriend is also the main suspect in her murder and the nurse had also gone to the police to report that he may have a gun before she was killed. John F., the ex-boyfriend and suspect in this case, also turned himself in the day after the shooting.
The differences between these two cases is that Van der Giesen pressed charges against F., while Draaism did not press charges. The police have acknowledged that they made a mistake in underestimating the danger that Linda was in.