It looked like a scene from the crime series Undercover. In a residential area in Roosendaal, shots were fired in broad daylight on Friday afternoon. Local resident Marja saw it happen under her balcony: “I was in the first rank.”
Marja heard that shots were being fired, something that she says is not unique in Kalsdonk in Roosendaal: “That sometimes happens here more often, but this was very close by.” She saw the unrest two meters away on the sidewalk. “Men were running around and there was shooting. Bats and bricks were also used. It was really intense.”
Despite the fuss, Marja is calm and level-headed. “I can handle it. I’m from Amsterdam,” she said with a smile. She is most worried about her fellow residents in the flat. “There are many elderly people who live here, they are anxious at the moment and I understand that. People become isolated. They no longer dare to go outside. You don’t wish that on anyone.”
“Then I’ll be in the cemetery tomorrow”
The fear is still good among the local residents a day later. This becomes clear when we try to get reactions on the street. The fear of possible malicious parties is great. Passers-by prefer to keep their jaws securely closed. A neighbor across the street does not want to respond, not even anonymously: “Then I will be lying in the cemetery tomorrow”.
It is not the first time that bullets have been flying around in the Roosendaal neighbourhood. “They are dealing under our flat,” says Marja, “they are nice and dry here.” She also points out pieces of broken glass in her gallery, at the back of the flat. “Bullet holes from another time. I think from a year ago. The floor above also has a few. That also gives a lot of fear.”
The police arrived quickly on Friday afternoon, but according to Marja, people can expect to live here safely. She hopes the council will take action. “A bit of victim support, for example. I haven’t heard anything yet, but it would be nice if we got some help here.” The mayor of Roosendaal was not available for comment on Saturday.
Watch the footage of the shooting in broad daylight below, filmed by a local resident: