Grocery store argument preceded shooting that left man, 26, dead
Witnesses in the area of a fatal shooting on Wednesday evening in Vlaardingen said they saw or heard an argument before gunshots rang out. Police said that a 26-year-old man from the city who they found injured on the street died at the scene soon after the 8:15 p.m. incident.
A short time later, police fired a warning shot when they wanted to take a man into custody who matched the description of the gunman. He was then shot by an officer at the scene. Police provided first aid, and he was transported in custody to an area hospital. Authorities a day later still had not confirmed that the man they had in custody was the person who shot the victim dead in the street.
According to broadcaster Rijnmond, the two men involved had already gotten into a dispute at a supermarket near the scene. "I heard there had been a fight, but the incident was not at this street," an elderly resident told the regional broadcaster.
"The police are investigating, but this did not just come out of the blue. The police have tracked down and also interrogated the possible perpetrator," said Vlaardingen Mayor Bas Eenhoorn. He praised local residents for cooperating with police orders to remain indoors, and for remaining calm during the violent situation and aftermath.
"It's not nice to have these kinds of scenes in your city."
Separately, on Thursday afternoon, police in Vlaardingen also arrested three people after receiving a tip they were armed on the street. A gun was found in the pocket of one person in the group when they were stopped on Goudsbloemstraat.
