Emergency services criticized after downstairs neighbor murdered by deranged man

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  Floor Ligtvoet

  editor of Nieuwsuur

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  Cecile van de Grift

  Nieuwsuur reporter

The Amsterdam resident who murdered his downstairs neighbor last year was known to the law and was a firearms threat. Nuri Tolga Ö. on the radar of many authorities, but they did not properly assess the risks and shared limited information about it.

That shows research which the city did. Mayor Femke Halsema wants to talk to the authorities that Ö. In their sights: Veelig Thuis, the police, the probation service, the GGD and the housing association.

None of these groups had a complete picture of the confused man. Although he already had a significant criminal record before the murder and spent a year and a half in prison. Ö he was guilty of theft, assault, vandalism, threats and domestic violence.

The now 37-year-old Ö. attacked his downstairs neighbors with a knife in August 2023 on Robert Scottstraat in Amsterdam-West. Rens (25) was killed, his housekeeper Lars (29) barely survived the attack.

Emergency workers saw that Ö. he had mental problems. But he was able to disappear each time because he refused almost all investigations and help, the researchers conclude in the report. Sometimes Ö stayed. for example, abroad for a short time.

No authority had full insight into Ö’s behavior. So they missed that it was getting worse and worse. Just before the murder, the man became increasingly suspicious and aggressive. For example, he believed that his neighbors were listening in and that he was poisoning him.

The authorities noted and discussed previous reports of concern by local residents and his family, but never once did they decide to act. Urgent care for Ö. “As far as we can tell, it has not been clearly considered,” the researchers write. Previous treatment did not start as part of his confirmation guidelines because of waiting lists.

Ö family. has always bothered him. They reported what happened to the police, Safe at Home and the Residential Care and Home Reporting Centre. The day before the fatal stabbing, Ö mother. Call the hotline in a panic. She no longer stayed at home for her own safety.

A worker at the reporting center contacted the GGD, but after a telephone conversation with the mother, her report was not assessed by the GGD as acute. A home visit followed.

The next day, on August 1, 2023, Ö. he went into his neighbors house downstairs​​​​​​ and stabbed Rens, who was 25 years old at the time, and Lars, who was 29 years old, with a large kitchen knife.

The man has now been declared totally incompetent by the judge and is under TBS with compulsory treatment received. The Public Prosecution Service had asked for 15 years in prison and TBS. The case is still being heard on appeal.

The parents of the deceased Rens say their son’s death could have been prevented. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema confirms that this is not the conclusion of the report published today. “But I understand that the parents who are living with so much pain are saying this. I would just like to say to them: I am just very sorry for what happened.”

She calls aid groups working past each other “absolutely irresponsible”. Halsema sits down with the leaders of the relevant authorities. “I will ensure that this is discussed, resolved and improved.”

News hour In response to the report, the GGD, the police and the Eigen Haard housing association also requested a response. They have the answers here to read