At least two people were killed by a lone gunman who opened fire and started fires in a hospital and an apartment in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on Thursday, the city’s police chief said.
The suspect, a 32-year-old student, wore a bulletproof vest as he shot and killed a 39-year-old woman and seriously injured her 14-year-old daughter, Police Chief Fred Westerbeke said.
The shooter then went to the nearby Erasmus Medical Center where he shot and killed a 46-year-old man, a teacher at the academic hospital.
The suspect’s identity was not released. No motive was announced.
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06:07 PM BST
Suspect was student at university hospital where shooting occurred, police say
The suspected gunman was a student at the medical centre where one of Thursday’s twin-shootings occurred, Dutch police said.
Local police chief Fred Westerbeke told a news conference that a 39-year-old woman and a 42-year-old teacher had been killed during the attacks on two locations.
The 14-year-old daughter of the woman was also shot and is seriously injured, he said.
06:00 PM BST
At least two killed in twin-shootings: Dutch police
At least two people were killed during Thursday’s twin-shootings, Dutch police said at a press conference.
A 32-year-old suspect was arrested after shots were fired at the Erasmus Medical Center and a nearby residential property.
Police said fires had also broken out at both locations, but were subsequently contained.
05:47 PM BST
Gunman threw ‘molotov cocktail at education centre’ amid hospital shooting spree
A medical student has told Dutch TV news channel RTL Nieuws that Thursday’s gunman threw a “molotov cocktail” into the Erasmus Medical Center’s “education centre” after an initial shooting spree.
“First there was a shooting on the fourth floor. Four or five shots were fired. Then a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the education centre,” the medical student, who asked not to be named, said.
05:38 PM BST
Gun found in Erasmus Medical Center: Report
A firearm has been found inside the hospital where one of Thursday’s twin-shooting incidents took place, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported.
It was unclear whether the weapon had been used by the suspect, NOS reported, adding that police were still examining the gun.
05:33 PM BST
Hospital employee hid in her car amid scenes of ‘chaos’
A member of staff at the Erasmus Medical Center said she was about to begin her shift when she heard gunshots ring out, prompting her to run to the building’s car park and hide in her vehicle.
“I am very shocked, it is very intense what happened,” the 24-year-old woman, who works in the back office of the hospital’s intensive care unit, told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
She said her colleagues had sprinted away in all directions as the shooting started. “It was chaos,” she added.
05:28 PM BST
Footage appears to show police arresting suspected gunman
Footage being shared on social media appears to show police arresting the suspected gunman following the twin-shooting incidents at a university hospital and a nearby home.
05:24 PM BST
Erasmus Medical Center appeals for people to stay away as police search for victims
The Erasmus Medical Center has appealed on social media for people not to go to the hospital following Thursday’s shooting.
The plea came as local media reported that police had entered the hospital to search for victims.
05:21 PM BST
Police erect screens at residential scene of first shooting
Police have erected screens at the house where the alleged shooter is suspected of opening fire first before heading to the hospital.
An eyewitness spoken to by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, identified only as Rimmeely, said he was “returning from the tram and saw someone lying on the ground in front of the house”.
“So incredibly sad. And that the possible perpetrator went to Erasmus MC after that, terrible,” the eyewitness said.
05:17 PM BST
‘I never thought I’d have to worry about an active shooter in the Netherlands’
A doctor at the Erasmus Medical Center where Thursday’s shooting took place has said everyone from her lab had been “safely evacuated”.
“I never thought I’d have to worry about an active shooter in the Netherlands but here were are,” Dr. Aleksandra Badura said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
I never thought I’d have to worry about an active shooter in the Netherlands but here were are. Shooting and fire at Erasmus MC 😞
Everyone from my lab has been safely evacuated 🙏— Dr. Aleksandra Badura (@AleksBadura) September 28, 2023
05:14 PM BST
Footage shows people streaming out of hospital
Footage being shared on social media shows people streaming out of the Erasmus Medical Center as police moved in.
05:11 PM BST
Eyewitness describes ‘panic and screaming’ at hospital
Eyewitnesses have described “panic and screaming” at the Erasmus Medical Center, where a gunman dressed in combat gear opened fire.
“There was a lot of panic and screaming. I was in the hospital. I fled from there to the Sophia Children’s Hospital,” one eyewitness told Dutch broadcaster NOS.
05:05 PM BST
Pictures from the scene
04:56 PM BST
Multiple people killed in Rotterdam shootings, police say
Police said they were informing victims’ family members after multiple people were killed in Thursday’s shooting.
A 32-year-old suspect was arrested after police said on social media that shots had been fired at the Erasmus Medical Center and a nearby home. They also said fires had broken out at both locations.
Videos posted online showed police instructing students to run outside as heavily armed arrest teams arrived at the scene.
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