Three Dead After Gunman Opens Fire in Rotterdam

Three people are confirmed dead after a gunman shot into a classroom at a university hospital campus and a nearby house Thursday in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam.

The suspect, a 32-year-old university student, killed a 39-year-old woman who lived in his neighborhood and seriously injured her 14-year-old daughter. The girl later died in the hospital, according to Dutch police.

The suspect then set a fire to their house before going to the Erasmus University Medical Center, where he fatally shot a 46-year-old teacher inside a classroom. He also set a fire at the hospital after the fatal shooting.

Police haven’t released the names of the victims and the suspect.

Police instructed students, staff and patients to run out of the hospital building. Those who were unable to leave barricaded themselves in their rooms and posted notes on their windows showing their locations.

The suspect, who reportedly was a student at Erasmus and had been known to Dutch law enforcement, was arrested outside the hospital.

“In 2021, he was prosecuted and convicted for animal abuse,” said Hugo Hillenaar, Rotterdam’s chief prosecutor.

The motive for the shooting was not yet known, though the suspect was reportedly cooperating with police.

Several explosions have been reported around Rotterdam and have been tied to rival drug gangs. There was currently no evidence linking the fatal shootings to the explosions.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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