The police officer who shot Tim van der Boor (27) in his car in Waalwijk on March 17, should not have fired. The Public Prosecution Service announced that on Thursday announced† Van der Boor was a suspect in a drug investigation and – that was the intention – to be arrested by an arrest team. The officer in question is now suspected of culpable homicide.
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Van der Boor was in a car with his girlfriend, in a parking lot surrounded by flats, when they were surrounded by an arrest team, his mother told Omroep Brabant. He was allegedly shot through the car window. There was, however, no “immediate reason” for this. The man died on the spot, despite the medical help he received immediately.
The police let know that it is “very sorry” and that “obviously nobody wanted this”. The police officer in question will be inactive during the investigation, which according to the Public Prosecution Service will continue for “a good deal of time”. Guilty homicide carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. The difference with manslaughter is that there is no intent involved.
Every year about ten people by police action. These are almost always men, a significant proportion of whom display “confused behaviour.” According to Control Alt Delete, an organization that monitors police violence, fifty police died between 2016 and 2020 and the Public Prosecution Service only identified an officer as a suspect in one of those cases.