A prison sentence of four years has been demanded against a 42-year-old man from Emmen for attempted manslaughter by shooting at other men. The shooting incident was on October 16, 2021 in a park in the Angelslo district of Emmen.
Since his arrest, the suspect maintained that he himself was shot and that he did not shoot himself. He returned to that statement during the court hearing in the Assen court on Tuesday. “I shot with an alarm pistol that was in the Turkish Center. That is why no cartridges were found.”
The shooting was preceded by an argument between the men who were allegedly shot at and the suspect’s younger brother. The furious children of a former leader of a (now banned) motorcycle club in Emmen called the police from snack bar Kwalitaria in Emmen. They told the officers that their sister (aged 17 at the time) had spent the night with the suspect’s 37-year-old brother.
The three got hold of the thirty-something and there were blows. “Reminds me of the West Side Story: two rival groups and then a boy and a girl sleeping together,” the judge said.
Later in the evening, people reported to the Turkish Center and called the suspect outside. “When I came out, they started shooting. I went in to get the alarm pistol. I fired with that.” The suspect told the judges several times that he does not understand that he has been detained for a year and that his attackers are walking free.
The case against the suspect’s assailants has been dropped because ‘there is not enough evidence of the event’. The lawyer has now initiated proceedings at the Court of Appeal to enforce prosecution of the shooters.
The suspect said that he remained silent for a long time about the alarm gun in the Turkish Center because he was afraid that this would have repercussions for the Turkish association. The prosecutor called this story “totally unbelievable.” Based on camera images and tapped conversations, the Public Prosecution Service draws the conclusion that the suspect shot at his assailants. A weapon and ammunition were also found in the suspect’s home.
The court will rule in two weeks.