Boy killed by Rotterdam police carried “functioning” modified firearm: Prosecutors

The 15-year-old boy killed in a police shooting in Capelle aan den IJssel on Sunday was “in possession of a functioning firearm, a converted gas pistol,” the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Wednesday. The police shot the boy after an armed robbery. Two other teenagers suspected of the robbery were arraigned on Wednesday and remanded into custody for two weeks.

In a statement published after the suspects’ arraignment, the OM revealed more details of the robbery that preceded the fatal police shooting. “On Sunday, September 21, a 15-year-old boy was robbed of his fatbike by several suspects on Wisselspoor. A firearm was pointed at his head. He was also kicked and punched. The suspects fled the scene,” the OM said.

The police tracked two suspects matching the victim’s description to a nearby McDonald’s. One of the suspects fled. After warning the suspect several times, the police shot at him and fatally hit him, the OM said. The suspect, a 15-year-old boy from Gouda, died at the scene.

“The investigation has since revealed that the boy was in possession of a functioning firearm, a converted gas pistol,” the OM said.

The other suspect at the McDonald’s, a 15-year-old boy from Rotterdam, was arrested. Another 15-year-old boy from Gouda turned himself in at a police station that evening, the OM said. Both appeared in court on Wednesday and were remanded into pre-trial custody for another 14 days.

The police believe more people were involved in the robbery and don’t rule out further arrests. Investigators asked witnesses to come forward.

The Rijksrecherche, the department that handles internal investigations at the police, is investigating the fatal shooting of the suspected boy. This is standard procedure every time a police officer uses their firearm.