Young mother killed in Rotterdam shooting had "heart of gold"
The woman shot dead in a car in Rotterdam early Sunday morning is 24-year-old Sam from Oss, the mother of a 3-year-old boy. Her death was met with grief, horror, and disbelief in her hometown, where locals described her as a sweet, good mother with a “heart of gold.”
“What gives someone the right to take the life of a young woman, in the prime of her life, in such a despicable, horrific way?” a friend of Sam wrote on social media, Omroep Brabant reported. “Her 3-year-old son is losing his mother, her parents are losing their child. It’s the worst nightmare a parent can have. Cheerful, easygoing, straight-talking Sam.”
RTL Nieuws spoke to friends and acquaintances of Sam in Oss, and they described her as “super sweet,” a “really good” mom, and a woman with a “heart of gold.” Her parents adored her, a family member said. “They are completely devastated.”
A man who knew her said that no one had anything against Sam. “If anyone had their heart in the right place, it was her.” Other locals called Sam spontaneous and sweet. “It’s really beyond words.”
According to RTL Nieuws, Sam’s Facebook profile picture was changed after her death to a photo of her hugging her son tightly. “You were the sunshine, so cheerful and sweet,” one person commented on the photo. Another: “Terrible what happened to you.”
Sam was shot in or near her white Suzuki Swift on Kralingseplein in Rotterdam at around 1:45 a.m. on Sunday. First responders resuscitated her at the scene before paramedics rushed her to a hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries on Sunday afternoon.
The police arrested a 28-year-old man from Nijmegen at the scene. He was in the car with her. A third person was also in the car and fled. The police are looking for them.
According to Rijnmond, one of the three people in the car was carrying a firearm. Whether the weapon was discharged accidentally or intentionally remains unclear.
