Man sentenced to six years after teen fatally shoots himself in school restroom

A 27-year-old man, identified as R.d.J., was sentenced Monday to six years in prison after a 16-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in a school restroom while allegedly carrying out a plan to shoot someone for money.

Authorities said R.d.J. offered 2,500 euros to three teenagers, aged 15, 16, and 19, to shoot an unidentified person in the legs and supplied them with a gun, vehicles, money, and written instructions. The 16-year-old accepted the offer.

The boy died on February 5, 2025, at Hofstad Lyceum, a secondary school in The Hague, despite emergency medical treatment, including a trauma helicopter response. Initial reports suggested a stabbing or assault, but police later confirmed no external attack occurred.

Police surveillance had thwarted the planned shooting in Rotterdam on the night of February 4–5, when the 16-year-old traveled there with a driver arranged by R.d.J. The 19-year-old driver testified he did not intend for anyone to be harmed. R.d.J. is also suspected of criminally exploiting the deceased teen and is involved in domestic soft-drug trading.