The 19-year-old man who was involved in a shooting on Oliemuldersweg in Groningen on June 19, 2024, acted in self-defense. The judge ruled that. He will therefore not be punished for attempted serious assault.
However, he will receive eight months in prison for prohibited possession of weapons. The Public Prosecution Service demanded three years in prison for attempted manslaughter, but that demand was rejected by the court.
The incident was preceded by a long conflict. The man was involved in a fatal traffic accident on the Europaweg-Noord in Assen in 2022, in which a 19-year-old co-driver was killed. Since then, the suspect has been the target of explosions several times after he continued to deny having been behind the wheel.
Shortly before the shooting incident on Oliemuldersweg, he was added to a Snapchat group. That resulted in an appointment at a gas station. The suspect took a firearm with him. There he was confronted by a 17-year-old boy wearing a balaclava and pulling a gun. According to the court, this boy shot first.
The suspect fell, loaded his gun and returned fire three times. The 17-year-old suffered injuries to his foot. Camera images from the gas station support this reading.
The court stated that there was an immediate threat of danger and that the suspect could not flee. According to the judge, taking a firearm involved unacceptable risks, but this does not detract from the successful appeal to emergency defense.