Six injured in separate shootings in Groningen, Hardinxveld & Breda
Police in the Netherlands said six people were injured in separate gun-related crimes that took place on Saturday. Three people were hurt in a shooting that took place Saturday evening in the center of Groningen, one man was injured in a shooting in Hardinxveld-Giessendam at about the same time, and two others, including a bystander, were injured when shots rang out near a Breda festival earlier in the day.
Each of the three cases was still under investigation on Sunday. Authorities asked for witnesses to come forward, and detectives were hoping to obtain dashcam and security camera footage from around the three crime scenes.
Three hurt in Groningen city center gun crime
The shooting incident in Groningen happened just before 8 p.m. on Haddingestraat. “I heard arguing in the street. What I heard is that ten men went after one man. He felt threatened, cornered. Then he took a gun from his car and fired at the group," said one local resident in an interview with RTV Noord.
“All of a sudden I heard four bangs. I said to my wife, ‘Those were gunshots!’”
Police officers raced to the scene and initially found two people who were injured. A trauma team was also sent to assist with the wounded, which landed in the city’s popular Grote Markt as police cordoned off the crime scene.
“A total of three people were injured in this incident. Two of them have been taken to hospital,” police confirmed. No information was released regarding the nature and severity of the injuries.
One suspect was taken into custody Saturday night, and was brought to an area police station for questioning. Police did not confirm a motive for the shooting.
The regional broadcaster said two suspected drug dealers were taken into custody at a cafe on the same street a few days earlier. The two were allegedly observed making between 10 and 15 drug deals on the street.
Gunshots injure one in Hardinxveld-Giessendam
Reports of shooting at about 8 p.m. had authorities racing to the small Zuid-Holland municipality of Hardinxveld-Giessendam on Saturday evening. Officers rolled up to find one man injured, but conscious, near the Rivierdijk in the town of 18,000 residents. The injured man was hospitalized, but his condition was not revealed.
“Half an hour later, two men were arrested on the A13 near The Hague. They may have been involved in the incident,” police said in a statement.
Separately, ambulances were sent to the neighboring town of Sliedrecht just before 8:25 p.m. for a report of a stabbing. First responders descended on a home on Tuinfluiterstraat to find two people with minor injuries. Two people were arrested in that case.
Shooting near Breda festival injures two, including bystander
Another two people were injured in a shooting that took place in Breda during the early morning hours on Saturday. One of the gunshot victims was an intended target, while the other was struck by a stray bullet. Authorities said shots were fired after a fight took place on Bavelseparklaan in the Noord-Brabant city.
The initial investigation “showed that prior to the shooting incident there had been a conflict between visitors to a festival that had ended a few minutes earlier on the Breepark site. During the conflict, someone drew a weapon and fired several times,” police stated.
“Two people were injured. One of them had actually been shot at, and the other, a bystander, was injured. Both people were taken to hospital by paramedics.”
Police officers launched a manhunt for the gunman, who was seen fleeing the area in a car. Officers spotted the car near the Breepark venue at about 2:30 a.m.
A 21-year-old man from Krimpen aan den IJssel was arrested by a tactical police unit. More arrests are possible, police stated later in the day. “The suspect's role in this incident is under investigation. Several people were involved in the conflict prior to the shooting incident.”
