Rotterdam residents relieved by arrest in random shootings; Neighbors mourn victims
Residents of the IJsselmonde District in Rotterdam responded with relief to the news that a 24-year-old man was arrested for three seemingly random fatal shootings. He is accused of killing three men since December 21 who were 58, 63, and 81 years of age. The victims were well-respected by their longtime neighbors.
Rotterdam’s mayor, Carola Schouten, was relieved that the suspect had been arrested. She said that the arrest was a result of “a lot of effort and skilled detective work.” She also expressed her condolences to the relatives of the people who lost their lives.
Many of the residents in the IJsselmonde District knew the latest victim of the shooting, a 63-year-old named Mohammad, but was known to neighbors as Naïm. The man had lived in the neighborhood for around 30 years with his wife. “I saw him almost twice or three times a day,” one neighbor told Rijnmond on Thursday afternoon.
Residents have been rocked by the shootings, with some fearing to leave their houses. “I was just about to go outside, but my wife told me it is better for me to stay in,” one resident said.
The first two shootings in the district happened on the Reyerdijk and the Roelantpad. The first incident on the Reyerdijk occurred on December 21. This came a week before the shooting on the Roelantpad. A 58-year-old was found wounded on a bike path.
Both men died of their injuries in the hospital. All three locations were within a kilometer of each other.
The suspect was arrested on Thursday evening. Most of the residents did not know of the man. “I thought an older man lived in the house. I don't know this boy," said a local resident, who is happy that the suspect has been arrested.
Many of the people in the neighborhood saw the arrest take place. "There were a lot of heavily armed officers in the street, and we heard a lot of commotion," said a man, who had just picked up his girlfriend from work. The woman did not dare to go out on the street alone out of fear. Another man saw the suspect being taken away with a bag over his head.
"Now I can sleep peacefully. Much strength to all the relatives and a big thank you to the police," one Rotterdam resident expressed her gratitude when speaking to the AD.
