An Arnhem resident and a Groningen resident were convicted on Wednesday for shooting in Bataviastraat in Groningen last September. The court calls it ‘lucky’ that no one was injured.
Last September, things went terribly wrong at a cafeteria in the Indische Buurt in Groningen, when a 25-year-old Groningen resident made eye contact with a 27-year-old man from Arnhem from a cafeteria terrace in the evening after 9 p.m. He walks past with two women, but decides to turn around and immediately open fire.
The Arnhemmer fires eight bullets in the direction of the terrace. Out of fright, the Groningen man dives behind a car and shoots back three times. A car window breaks apart and bullets also end up in the walls and frames of the snack bar.
‘No biased witnesses’
The court sentenced the man who started the shooting to 3 years in prison for multiple attempts at manslaughter and prohibited possession of weapons. He denied having shot two weeks ago and called crucial witnesses ‘biased’, but the court does not agree with that.
Because the Groningen man only shot back game, the court ruled that he was threatening and illegally possessing weapons. He was arrested a month after the shooting and was released conditionally in July. The court does not have to return him to prison, but he will still receive a six-month suspended prison sentence.
Why was shooting? It remains unclear
The fact that no injuries or deaths occurred is fortunate, according to the judges in Groningen. “Certainly not something that is due to the suspects. Both men seriously endangered the lives of others, including casual bystanders. The court holds this heavily against the men.”
The penalties are equal to the demand of the Public Prosecution Service. Despite the convictions, it remains unclear why things got so out of hand in Bataviastraat. Both suspects did not open a book about it and therefore the judges cannot make a decision about it.