Minor stabbed to death at Hoogkerk supermarket, suspect (23) arrested Inland

Police spokesman Thijs Damstra of the Northern Netherlands unit says that the investigation is in full swing. “A serious stabbing incident was reported at 2:50 p.m. We now assume one suspect. The investigation will take several hours,” said Damstra.

‘Stabed multiple times’

Nearby shops are closed and do not open on Sundays. There were many people around at the time of the incident. “I saw it from 1.5 meters. I saw that a boy had been stabbed several times at the supermarket,” said a shocked witness. “It looked intense. A lot of people took to the streets.”

A teenager shakes his head in disbelief. “The plug would first have walked to the service desk and he shouted something like ‘call the police and the ambulance, I’m going to stab’. Then came the attack. Bizarre.”

People from all over the village take a look on Sunday. Rumors are doing the rounds. “We hear it was a stupid fight. Sad”, says a father who is in the car with his children. The father says he wasn’t too scared. “But when you see this again, young people with knives. To be stabbed again. Horrible.” Several local residents point out that this is the second fatal stabbing incident in Hoogkerk in a year.

Hoogkerker Jan van der Veen can’t get over it. “Yes, knives. I am also concerned about that. In the past, something natural also happened, but now… What a sudden impact on those people.” The truck driver has lived in the village for thirty years and enjoys it very much. “This has never happened before at these stores. An unexpected move.”

Shopping public

Witnesses said the stabbing was seen by people in the store. Shoppers would have been led away through the exit at the back of the building.

Mayor Koen Schuiling of Groningen responded on Sunday evening: “What happened in Hoogkerk is a shocking and tragic incident. I would like to convey my condolences to the relatives and friends of the victim. Of course there are still many questions, but the news that such a young life ends in this way is horrifying. There are hardly any words for that.”

Schuiling asks witnesses to come forward. Victim Support is available to bystanders. On Sunday evening, supermarket staff were still present in the store.

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