Man who killed 3 people in Rotterdam got gun from Amsterdam top criminal: report
Sendric S., a 24-year-old man suspected of murdering three random men in Rotterdam’s IJsselmonde district, got the murder weapon from an Amsterdam top criminal just one day before the first murder, AD reported. The 20-year-old Amsterdammer in question has a long criminal record, is on Amsterdam’s Top 600 repeat offenders list, and still has an unserved sentence of juvenile psychiatric treatment over his head, according to the newspaper. The first hearing in this case will happen on Friday.
S. got the murder weapon from the 20-year-old Amsterdam man in Rotterdam on December 20. A 17-year-old from Assen was also allegedly involved in the deal.
One day later, on December 21, S. allegedly murdered the first of his three victims. According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), S. shot three randomly chosen men dead on the street in the IJsselmonde district. He approached the victims, aged 63, 58, and 81, from behind and shot them in the head.
The murder spree had a massive impact on locals. After the third murder, the police even urged locals not to go out on the street alone and to avoid dark places.
According to AD, the Amsterdam man who provided the murder weapon has a very long criminal record, including arms trafficking. In 2023, the court sentenced him to one year in prison and juvenile psychiatric treatment for this crime. He still has to be admitted for treatment.
The police arrested the Amsterdam man in Assen on December 30 after two of the three Rotterdam murders. He’s suspected of involvement after the police found traces of his DNA on the bullet casings found after the murders.
Sendric S.’s arrest followed on January 2, about 12 hours after the third murder. S.’s criminal record is considerably shorter than that of the Amsterdam arms dealer. As a minor, S. was sentenced for several shoplifting offenses. And in March 2024, he was convicted of possession of a stolen scooter.
The motive for the murders is still a mystery, and will likely remain so after Friday’s hearing. S. will not attend. Neither will the 17-year-old from Assen. It is unclear whether the Amsterdam arms dealer will be at the hearing.
The relatives of the victims will go to court for the hearing, victim lawyer Sébas Diekstra, who represents the family of the 58-year-old victim, told the newspaper. “The loss is palpable every day, and the grief is immense. The hearing is an emotionally difficult moment for them, but also important in their search for justice.”
The hearing can also be followed via a live stream. The court decided to allow this given the “major impact of the events in the district, Rotterdam, and the rest of the Netherlands.” The hearing is scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m.
