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By Mercy Johnson
On Thursday afternoon, a woman, her teenage daughter and a male teacher were killed after a gunman opened fire at a house and a well-known medical school in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam. This event was described as a “black day” by the police chief.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe suspect, a 32-year-old Erasmus University student, was arrested as he was seen carrying a weapon and wearing a bulletproof vest. He is believed to have attacked solo, the authorities affirmed. However, it remains unclear what his motive was and his relationship with the victims of the attack. Reportedly, it is said that the suspect lived on the same street as the woman and her daughter.
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The police said that they had received an initial report of gunfire at 2:25 p.m. local time on Thursday. They stated that the gunman first started a fire at the home and then went to the medical school where he shot the teacher in class, then he went through other parts of the hospital and started a fire there.
The Netherlands is not accustomed to Gun attacks and violence. However, in 2019, the country experienced a shooting on a tram in the city of Utrecht that left three people dead, and seven others wounded.
This is not the first case of a gun attack since the beginning of the year 2023. Here is a list of other deadly gun attacks experienced in 2023.
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BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: The first of this terrific incident this year occurred at a Birmingham Nightclub on 5th Avenue North early Monday morning of September 4th, 2023 rendering two people dead and three others injured. Shortly after, shots were fired at a vehicle arriving at a nearby hospital emergency room, targeting people who may have been injured in the nightclub shooting. The hospital spokesperson affirmed that the shooter fled the scene after the incident.
CHICAGO: On the 30th of July, a 21-year-old woman was killed and eight other women were injured after a gun attack that started after a Jeep approached a group on the West Side of Chicago, according to police. The shooting in the North Lawndale neighbourhood happened before 1 a.m. The women were said to have been gathering when a black Jeep drove up to them. Multiple people were seen coming out armed with guns from the vehicle and began shooting at the women.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: In the late hours of July 3rd, a suspect who was dressed in a bulletproof vest and carrying a rifle along with multiple rounds of ammunition opened fire in Philadelphia, killing about five people and injuring two children in the attack. The prime suspect, later identified as 40-year-old Kimbrady Carriker was apprehended by officers at a rear alley of Frazier Street. It was later discovered that the suspect left a will at his house and according to a roommate, was acting agitated, wearing a tactical vest around his house prior to the day of the shooting.
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: March 27 recorded the death of three children and three staff members who were shot and killed at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, an official at Vanderbilt University Medical Center stated. The shooting occurred on Monday morning at the Covenant School, a Christian school for students in preschool through sixth grade. The suspect, identified as a 28-year-old by the police, was shot and killed by law enforcement officers in a lobby area on the second floor of the school.
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: Three people died and five others were injured after a shooting occurred at different locations on Michigan State University’s East Lansing Campus on the night of February 13. The suspect, 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae was reported to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The tragic incident led to the cancellations of classes at the University for the remainder of the week and a movement of classes from the two buildings where the shootings occurred for the remainder of the semester. A protest against gun violence ensued after.
2023 has experienced a lot of gun attacks, recording an alarming number of fatalities and injuries from incidents like the above. It is our collective responsibility to continue clamouring for measures that promote safety, mental health awareness, and responsible gun ownership. Governments in countries prone to these attacks should put extra safety measures in place.
