15-year-old boy shot dead by police after fatbike robbery in Capelle aan den IJssel

Police shot and killed a 15-year-old robbery suspect in Capelle aan den IJssel on Sunday. Mayor Joost Manusama announced this in a statement on the municipality's website.

The shooting took place at a McDonald's fast-food chain after a fat bike was reportedly stolen during a nearby robbery, according to a spokesperson for the Rotterdam police unit. The suspect allegedly threatened the suspect with a firearm. Bystanders reported the incident to the police.

When police arrived, the suspect fled toward McDonald's. According to police, he again displayed a firearm at the restaurant. The officers then used the approach technique for dangerous persons, which involves drawing their gun and asking the suspect to remain standing and drop the weapon.

Warned very often

The suspect was "warned many times," a police spokesperson told NOS . "We told him: 'You're under arrest, we are the police. Stay where you are, drop the weapon.' Ultimately, he didn't listen, started running, and we shot." Police reported Sunday evening that a firearm was found near the suspect's body.

The identity of the suspect is not yet known. The condition of the robbery victim is also unknown. Police have also arrested a second suspect in connection with the robbery.

McDonald's visitors and employees who witnessed the shooting have been offered victim support. They told AD A fast-food restaurant employee said she saw the boys approaching on a fat bike: "Suddenly, one of them pulled out a gun. He was standing half a meter away from me. That's when I thought, 'Shit, I have to go inside.'"

A few times a year

The National Criminal Investigation Department is investigating the shooting, as is customary after police fire at a suspect. This is unusual: police reports show that officers fired 214 shots at a target in 2024, but that in at least 202 cases, these shots were aimed at an injured or aggressive animal.

Police fatally shoot people a few times a year, according to figures from the Public Prosecution Service. For example, officers in Amsterdam shot and killed German influencer Sammy Baker after he appeared to threaten with a knife. And in March 2022 , an officer in Waalwijk killed unarmed Timothy van der Boor during an attempted arrest. The officers who shot have been acquitted in both cases.