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Investigation after man dies in police shooting in Amsterdam

An investigation has started into the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old man during a struggle with police in the centre of Amsterdam.

The incident on the Kloveniersburgwal, near the Zandstraat, happened early on Monday morning as police tried to arrest the man following a street brawl on the nearby Nieuwe Hoogstraat.

The man managed to grab an officer’s service pistol and fired off a shot. The officer’s colleagues returned fire on the man, who died shortly afterwards from his injuries.

A witness told Het Parool newspaper he heard an officer shout: “Drop that pistol or we’ll shoot” followed by a shot. There was a short pause before two more shots were fired.

He added that the man, who appeared to be of North African appearance, was reanimated at the scene and taken to hospital by ambulance.

The public prosecutor’s office (Openbare Ministerie) confirmed the victim was a 31-year-old man from Amsterdam.

None of the police officers involved in the incident was injured.

The police’s internal investigations department, the Rijksrecherche, has begun a review of the incident.

Source: Het Parool: Slachtoffer van politiekogel was Amsterdammer

Photo by Bas Bogers

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