Teen killed in police shooting was in foster care; School devastated
The 15-year-old boy killed in a police shooting after an armed fatbike robbery on Sunday was previously in foster care, though it is unclear whether he still lived with a foster family in Gouda at the time of his death, RTL Nieuws reported. His death was deeply traumatic for many students at Yuverta VMBO, the school he attended, the principal told the broadcaster.
According to the broadcaster, the then-10-year-old boy and his foster mother were featured in a local magazine in 2020. The woman was also featured in a local publication last year. It is unclear whether the boy was still in foster care.
The secondary school that the boy attended, Yuverta VMBO, canceled all classes on Monday, but held separate gatherings for teachers and students. Some students are deeply affected, the school principal told RTL. “We’re paying a lot of attention to it. Some are very upset and sad. Others were not so close to the boy, so their reactions are a bit different.”
The broadcaster found a TikTok account where one of the boy’s close friends shared her heartbreak. She posted a video showing several shots of the two of them together, including the boy posing with sunglasses and walking a dog.
The police fatally shot the boy at a McDonald’s in Capelle aan den IJssel on Sunday after he allegedly robbed someone of their fatbike, threatening them with a firearm. According to the police, they repeatedly warned the armed suspect before shooting. The Rijksrecherche, the department that handles internal investigations at the police, is investigating the shooting.
Two other suspects are in custody for the armed robbery. They are also 15-year-old boys, one from Rotterdam and one from Gouda.
