The Rotterdam police only warned residents of IJsselmonde last Thursday that a serial killer may be active in their neighborhood, to prevent unrest in the neighborhood. Police chief Fred Westerbeke said this on Friday evening News hour. He called the fact that three murders took place in the neighborhood in a short period of time “unprecedented.”
Last two weeks, three men – aged 63, 58 and 81 – were shot in IJsselmonde. Suspect Sendric S. was arrested on Thursday evening, after he had already been checked by the police following a tip. Nothing is yet known about his motive, but the police suspect that S. chose his victims at random. He will be arraigned on Monday.
According to Westerbeke, the decision whether or not to warn residents was about whether it was “really necessary”. In addition to the fear of further unrest in the neighborhood, the police were “not yet at the point where you say: now the next one is coming,” said the police chief. The investigating services were also not sure whether the suspect was still in IJsselmonde. Westerbeke says that in 45 years with the police he cannot remember having experienced a situation like this before.
After the third murder, the safety of the residents was ultimately decisive, Westerbeke said. “We felt that we had to send this signal.” The police ultimately did this by advising residents of IJsselmonde not to go outside alone. “Avoid dark, secluded places,” the advice read.