Kidnapping may have precede fatal Coevorden shooting, OM says

The fatal shooting that occurred in Coevorden, Drenthe, last month may have been preceded by a kidnapping or an attempted kidnapping by an 18-year-old man from Emmen, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) has reported. The man was arrested after the incident, but is currently not in custody. A 21-year-old man from Emmen passed away as a result of the shooting during the evening hours of July 18, leading into July 19.

A 33-year-old man from Coevorden is still in custody for the kidnapping. His pre-trial detention was extended for 30 days on July 29. A 31-year-old from Emmen is no longer in custody. The police are currently investigating whether there is a possible link between the kidnapping and the shooting. They are also looking into the victim’s role in this.

The two suspects in the fatal shooting include a 16-year-old boy from Emmen, arrested on July 21, and a 23-year-old man from Schoonebeek, who was arrested two days later. They were brought before district court judges on Wednesday for a hearing into the status of the case, and the court extended their pretrial detention by 90 days, the maximum permissible at this stage

Besides murder and possession of a weapon, the two are also suspected of attempted murder against the others suspected of involvement in the altercation, the men aged 18, 31, and 33. The Public Prosecution Service alleged the duo fired multiple gunshots at the other three men.

The 23-year-old man from Schoonebeek reportedly confessed to his involvement in the shooting, his lawyer told Dagblad van het Noorden. The attorney declined to say whether the man fired the shots himself.

She did say that the 21-year-old man who was killed in the shooting was not the intended target, the newspaper wrote.