ANP
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NOS News•today, 03:20
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The officer who opened fire on a tractor during a farmers’ protest in Heerenveen feared for the safety of his colleagues. The highest police chief of the Northern Netherlands says that in an interview with NRC.
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Chief Commissioner Gery Veldhuis calls it a wrong assessment. The officer feared that the tractor would run into colleagues and therefore opened fire. The 16-year-old driver was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of attempted manslaughter, but an investigation by the Public Prosecution Service showed that this was not the case.
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The National Criminal Investigation Department is still investigating to the incident† That is why Veldhuis was unable to elaborate on what exactly happened. “But he told me he shot because he was concerned for the safety of the employees he was performing with.”
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According to Veldhuis, the man is “through it”. “He thinks it is terrible that he ended up in a situation in which he thought he had to use his firearm. He also did not know that it was a boy of sixteen.” Veldhuis would have thought it “rather dramatic” if the shot had been hit.
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Footage of the incident shows the officer opening fire:
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Police shoot at tractor near Heerenveen
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It was previously reported that an officer for his own safety went into hiding, after photos of him were circulated. Veldhuis confirms that the man is being threatened. He considers it difficult for his colleagues that they have to act against people from their own community during farmer protests.
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At the same time, he warns that the police will try to confiscate tractors more often. “As long as farmers use their tractors for things other than what they are intended for, they should feel that they also lose their company resources as a result.”
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The family of the boy who was shot still considering to file a report against the police. Driver Jouke Hospes said earlier that he was just driving away from the protest when the shot was fired. According to Veldhuis, the police will pay for the damage to his window.
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