Boy, 11, identified as fourth suspect in fatbike theft linked to fatal police shooting
The police have reported that an 11-year-old boy is also suspected of involvement in the theft of a fatbike in Capelle aan den IJssel. He has been questioned but is not being held in custody because of his age. A 15-year-old from Gouda, who was also involved in the robbery, was fatally shot by police.
The 11-year-old is the fourth suspect identified by the police. A spokesperson stated that he is, for the time being, the final suspect the police were seeking. Children under 12 cannot be prosecuted under criminal law, but the authorities will consider “appropriate measures and necessary care,” the police said.
Two 15-year-old boys from Rotterdam and Gouda are the other suspects. They are accused of robbing someone on Sunday, September 21, at gunpoint using a gas alarm pistol that had been converted into a firearm. The victim was also kicked and beaten at Wisselspoor before the suspects fled.
Police tried to detain two of the suspects shortly afterward at a McDonald’s. The 15-year-old from Gouda, named Jerryson, reportedly ignored police warnings and ran off with the pistol. He was fatally shot by the police.
The boy’s mother is filing manslaughter charges against the police for the incident. The mother’s lawyer, Gerald Roethof, stated on TV that Jerryson had been shot in the back. This was then refuted by the prosecutor, who warned of “factual inaccuracies” that were circulating online.
Capelle aan den IJssel Mayor Joost Manusama voiced his grief over the boy’s death and highlighted the broader impact on the community: “This is a tremendous loss for the family of the deceased boy. I am also aware that the incident has deeply affected all the witnesses. For children in particular, it can be shocking and frightening.”
The two 15-year-old suspects from Rotterdam and Gouda appeared in court last week. The examining magistrate subsequently ruled that they would continue to be held in custody.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times
