Two men fired shots during the shooting on Maria in Campislaan in Assen on October 4 last year. That’s what the public prosecutor says. Two co-suspects of the shooters are also said to have had a firearm in their hands.
This became apparent during the first introductory hearing in the Assen court. The cases against two of the seven suspects came to trial there for the first time. Four of them are still in custody, the other three are allowed to await the substantive hearing of their case at home.
The shooting in October last year – which followed a fight involving machetes and baseball bats – involved a group of young men. A 24-year-old man was hit five times in the abdomen, back and buttocks. The victim miraculously survived the incident.
Two shooters
Investigation by the police shows that two suspects, aged 21 and 27, shot a firearm during the incident, the public prosecutor said. They both had gunpowder residue on their hands. The twentysomethings will appear in court for the first time on January 16.
Their two co-suspects, men aged 31 and 28, were also seen with a firearm by witnesses. The lawyer of the oldest suspect does not think that is enough reason to detain his client for so long. “There is nothing to show that he shot,” he says. “Three other suspects are already at large. Then that must also be an option for my client.”
Criminal record for threatening
The court thinks differently. The man in his thirties has a criminal record and has previously been convicted of threatening with a firearm. The suspicions against him are so serious that he must remain in jail for the time being. His co-suspect also remains in custody. According to the prosecutor, he had a firearm in his hands, but also brandished a baseball bat during the brawl prior to the shooting incident. He also has a criminal record, with a conviction for public violence.
In the coming months, witnesses will be heard and the investigation into the case will be completed. A second preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 6. It will then be reconsidered whether the four suspects should remain in jail. The court hopes to be able to hear the substance of the case at the beginning of the summer.