Fatal shooting in Rotterdam neighborhood the latest in a string of violent crimes

A 20-year-old man was shot dead on Flying Dutchmanstraat in Rotterdam early on Sunday morning. The police arrested five young suspects. This is the latest in a series of violent incidents in the neighborhood, locals told Rijnmond.

The shooting happened at around 6:30 a.m. on Sunday. First responders found the critically injured young man on the street and rushed him to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The police arrested five suspects between the ages of 17 and 24 years that same day. They were questioned and released from custody on Monday, but remain suspects in the case. The motive for the shooting remains unclear. The investigation is ongoing.

“It’s terrible,” a resident of Flying Dutchmanstraat told Rijnmond. He heard the gunshot. “I couldn’t place it, so I thought, ‘I’m going downstairs.’ Then my daughter came downstairs too and said, ‘There’s shooting.’ We went to look out the window and sure enough, we saw him lying there.”

The man and his daughter saw a car speeding away. They called the police, who arrived at the scene within minutes.

Locals have placed flowers at the scene. “Imagine it’s your child or your family. It’s just terrible. He was 20 years old,” the man said. “You don’t know what the background is, but you wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

According to the local, this is the latest in a series of violent incidents in the IJsselmonde neighborhood. “There are a lot of cars driving through here now, since those apartments across the street were built. They were completed in July of last year. Cars are tearing through the streets these days,” he told Rijnmond.

“There was also a firebomb there last year. Last year, an explosive was placed at a home twice in one day,” he said, indicating the apartments. “So yes, the neighborhood is deteriorating a bit, unfortunately. It used to be a quiet, peaceful neighborhood.”