Two people were killed in a shooting incident at a McDonald’s branch in Zwolle on Wednesday evening. According to the police, the fast food restaurant on Floresstraat was quite full with customers at the time of shooting. The area surrounding the McDonald’s branch in the north of the city was cordoned off for investigation.
The identity of the victims has not yet been released, but the police say they will to have a suspicion who they are. The perpetrator has not yet been arrested and, according to witnesses, he fled into the nearby neighborhood.
Mayor Peter Snijders reacts shocked to ANP news agency. “You do not expect such form of extreme violence here and it does not belong here.” In the course of the evening he visited the McDonald’s branch to be informed and to give the staff a heart.
Eyewitnesses: perpetrator ordered food first
RTV East reports based on eyewitnesses that a man walked into the store, first ordered food and sat down at a table and then opened fire on two men next to him. Panic arose among the visitors, including many children. Many people who fled and sought refuge have left their belongings in the restaurant.
After the shooting, the McDonald’s branch and its parking lot were closed off with large fences and many officers walked around in bulletproof vests. It also circled according to RTV East a police helicopter over the neighborhood.
McDonald’s Netherlands informs ANP news agency that it is “terrible for the relatives of the victims, for the guests and our crew.”