A 32-year-old student gunman, dressed in combat gear, carried out a shooting spree in Rotterdam, South Holland, on Thursday, Sept. 28. The assailant first opened fire at an apartment on Heiman Dullaertplein, resulting in the tragic deaths of a 39-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter. He also set the home ablaze.
The shooter, a student at Erasmus University, then proceeded to Erasmus Medical Center in the city, where he fatally shot a 46-year-old teacher at Erasmus MC. Fires erupted at both locations but were later extinguished.
The motives behind this attack remain unknown. Rotterdam police officers, in a news briefing following the incident, revealed that the gunman, whose name has not been disclosed publicly, was known to them and had a prior conviction for animal cruelty two years ago.
Authorities stated there were no signs of a second gunman in a post on social media. Rotterdam police offered condolences to the affected families.
During the shooting at the medical center, employees were seen evacuating the building with patients, some on stretchers. Messages reading ‘Room 32. We can’t get out!’ were noticed on two hospital windows.
Fred Westerbeke, the chief commissioner of the Rotterdam Regional Police Unit, noted that there might be additional victims yet to be identified. A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested by city police.”