Netherlands - 7 Killed, 15 Wounded In Mall Shooting

[Richard]

I heard this on the BBC when driving back to Dallas today.

And so it goes...

Richard

7 Killed, 15 Wounded In Dutch Mall Shooting
AP, 9 Apr 2011

A man armed with a machine gun opened fire in a crowded shopping mall on Saturday, killing six people and wounding 15, then committed suicide, officials and witnesses said.

Children were among the casualties, including an infant who was lightly injured, said Mayor Bas Eenhoorn. Three of the wounded were hospitalized in critical condition.

The rampage ended when the attacker shot himself in the head at the Ridderhof mall in Alphen aan den Rijn, a suburb 19 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Amsterdam.

"It's too terrible for words, a shock for us all," said Eenhoorn. "Alphen is in mourning."

The gunman was identified as 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis, and it was "all but certain" he acted alone, District Attorney Kitty Nooy said. Afterward, a note was found in the attacker's black Mercedes containing threats that he had planted explosives at three other malls in the city, said Nooy. The malls were evacuated, but no explosives were found.

A witness identified as Maart Verbeek told state broadcaster NOS the attacker appeared to be firing randomly.

"There was a panic in the mall, a lot of people running," said Verbeek, a pet shop owner. "I see the attacker coming, walking, and I go inside the store ... and I see him going by with a big machine gun."

Witness Martine Spruit, a 41-year-old receptionist, told The Associated Press she was shopping at a drug store when she heard bangs and people in the store hid behind shelves, realizing a shooting was taking place. Customers shouted for employees to lock the doors.

"Then we heard the shots getting further away, so he was walking back and forth," she said. "Then we thought we'd have a look and there were two people lying dead near the entrance... Then he came back shooting so we locked the door again."

Nooy said the shooter was a native Dutchman from Alphen who had previous run-ins with the law, including an illegal weapons possession charge when he was only 17 years old that was later dropped. He lived with his father.

He had permits for five guns, including the machine gun, Mayor Eenhoorn said.

The exact type of weapon was not identified. Dutch law forbids ownership of most firearms, but makes exceptions for some collectors and hunters. Eenhoorn said prosecutors were investigating whether the permits had been properly granted.

Queen Beatrix and Prime Minister Mark Rutte issued statements saying they were shocked and sympathize with the victims and their families.

Hours after the shooting, residents continued to gather at the mall, some of whom appeared to be in a daze.

"You hear about this sort of thing happening at American schools and you think that's a long way away," said Rob Kuipers, 50, a project manager. "Now it's happened here in the Netherlands."

Nooy said there was "no evidence" to support rumors that the gunman was a former soldier or that his mother or father had been among the dead or wounded Saturday.

Eenhoorn said both the gunman's mother and father were cooperating with the police investigation. The mother found a suicide note at her son's apartment, but Eenhoorn said it did not offer any explanation for the attack.

"The text is a farewell note," Eenhoorn said. "It says that he planned to commit suicide and a number of other things, but doesn't make reference to the terrible things he did."

Witnesses said the attacker had long blond hair and wore a black jacket and camouflage pants.

A resident who lives near the mall who gave his name as Marijn said the shooting went on for minutes. When he went to see whether friends working at the mall were OK, he saw the assailant lying dead in a grocery store.

"There was glass everywhere," the resident said. "He was just shooting everywhere as if it were the Wild West."

Images published by the NOS showed the body of the gunman lying near a checkout counter.

With his voice choking at times, Eenhoorn described the incident as a "disaster of unparalleled proportions" for Alphen, known as a quiet residential suburb. The deadly attack occurred during one of the region's first sunny days of spring, so many people were out and about.

"Under these circumstances, with many people shopping at the Ridderhof today, including parents with children, it's an almost incomprehensible situation," he said.

One unidentified witness on NOS TV said he saw the shooter change magazines of his machine gun and continue to fire.

Police commissioner Jan Stikvoort denied reports police were slow to respond, saying they arrived while the shooting was ongoing and reached the gunman just as the shooting stopped.

Although rare, shootings and violence are not unknown in the Netherlands.

In 1999, four students and a teacher were hurt in a school shooting and in 2004, a teacher was shot dead by a student.

There also have been two assassinations in the past decade, the 2002 killing of right wing politician Pim Fortuyn by an animal rights activist, and the 2004 murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an Islamic extremist.

In 2009, a loner drove his car into a group of bystanders during a royal parade, killing eight and wounding 10.

Gun permits are difficult to obtain in the Netherlands, but illegal automatic weapons and ammunition are frequently seized during drug busts.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110409/..._mall_shooting

[dr. mabuse]

*

[MTN Medic]

Originally Posted by dr. mabuse

I wasn't aware that you could get a permit for a "machine gun" ( whatever they mean by that term ) around there.

You can't.

[Wiseman]

This is a question to the members who were born in the 50s or 60s. Do you recall any news during your lifetime where an individual just murders random people at places of gathering? Why is it that this seems to occur only lately ( 1999 - present ) ?

Originally Posted by Wiseman

This is a question to the members who were born in the 50s or 60s. Do you recall any news during your lifetime where an individual just murders random people at places of gathering? Why is it that this seems to occur only lately ( 1999 - present ) ?

Nothing changes, only the access to, or dissemination of the news of events.

1999, 1899, 1799, 1699, 1599, etc. Some times in public markets, other times in churches or schools. Most frequently, work places, especially in Europe 1920's, New England, 1930's. Union labor disputes, civil rights, lynchings, mobs, burnings, prohibition, gansters,...., settlers, natives, religion.

Now take regions like Africa, the far East, Ivory Coast, South America - tell me when it hasn't happened? There is no ground on any part of the earth that has not drank innocent blood, making all ground sacred.

o.k., that last part was a bit much, but you get my point. Good question though, and I concur with your intent. In times past, people, posses, militias, sheriffs, were encouraged to handle the peace as best they could. Times past, good people took it upon themselves to settle the bad guys by any means possible. Maybe its time for that again.

[JJ_BPK]

Originally Posted by Wiseman

This is a question to the members who were born in the 50s or 60s. Do you recall any news during your lifetime where an individual just murders random people at places of gathering? Why is it that this seems to occur only lately ( 1999 - present ) ?

I remember the 1st (to my knowledge) suicide of a classmate in HS. Around 1967?

The individual may have been drunk or using LSD and drove a car into the side of a mountain at a very high rate of speed.

Briefly, The road crosses a river and the far side abutments sit 1/2 up the side of a shire rock face. Mid_Hudson River Bridge from Poughkeepsie NY to New Paltz, US 44.

The death was in the paper,, but the suicide wasn't publicized for months,, for what ever reason.

Compared to today's media microscope:

• where someone would have documented the Twitter message sent 2 seconds prior to impact,
• signed the rights to the in-car Go-Pro video to MSM,
• negotiated the movie rights with the funeral parlor,
• hosted a round table discussion with the last 7 lovers on Morey Popabitch
• F. Lee Bailey started a legal claim for abuse of power by the NY DoT for building a road where you needed to stay within the lines
• Dr Tim Leary does a NYT Op-Ed on the pro's & con's of driving while sucking on sugar cubes
• and,, and,, and

You should ponder the cause and effects inversely..

Did the assailants seek notoriety and fame for their pathetic existence??

Or did the MSM seek headlines via unabashed publication of trash news to boast circulation and TV ratings and the poor assailant was just there for the ride??



In a similar vane, review the American Presidential elections for the last 80 years.

If you factor OUT the MSM effect,, who would have been elected??

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Wiseman

This is a question to the members who were born in the 50s or 60s. Do you recall any news during your lifetime where an individual just murders random people at places of gathering? Why is it that this seems to occur only lately ( 1999 - present ) ?

Jack the Ripper?

Sharon Tate?

Boston Strangler?

I do think we over report and get a lot of copycats in it for the infamy.

And you were a lot more likely to be executed for your capital crimes in the 1950s and before.

TR

[Old Dog New Trick]

Going out with a bang, has become fashionable due to over exposure in the media.

I agree with WD there has always been violence in the world either directed at places of work, or worship, or family (society at large).

The only one thing that dictates the level of violence is access to the tools used by the person creating it (e.g., knives, guns, explosives, vehicles, etc...)

Dave Grossman, has what I believe to be a scientifically proven method of lowering the "fame" factor. Never say or repeat the attackers name, only remember the victims of their crime.

[Scimitar]

I think it was in LTC(r) Grossman's books where he talked about how in the 90s there was a 400% rise in relative reported aggresion in the media while the actual rate of attacks with homocidal intent decreased by 15%.

I definately have the numbers wrong, (I'm sure a member here can confirm the exact stats), but the point is the same. It's not nearly as dangerious out there as the average American thinks, we live in a relative unresonable state of fear.

Having lived overseas, I sure notice it here with the people on LA.

S

[Pete]

The Bath School Bombing was in 1927 - before TV.