Police and the Antwerp public prosecutor have conducted the first interviews following the shooting in a flat in the city centre on Wednesday. All those injured are now also out of danger. Five people were arrested as a result of the incident. 3 of them were seriously injured. The exact role of each of those involved is under investigation.
The investigation into the shooting in the Jezusstraat in Antwerp is still ongoing. The first police interviews have now taken place, ‘but due to the medical condition of some of those involved, we have not yet spoken to everyone,’ the public prosecutor's office says. The exact role of those involved and the circumstances under which the incident happened remain unclear.
The shooting occurred in a flat in the Jezusstraat on Wednesday afternoon, explains Wouter Bruyns of local Antwerp police. Afterwards several injured people were discovered in a nearby car park.
3 people - who were also arrested - were taken to hospital seriously injured, 2 of them were in a life-threatening condition for a while. Two others were also arrested.
The police stress that at present there is no clear-cut distinction between who is the perpetrator or the victim. ‘All the people of whom we are aware that they were involved have been arrested,’ says spokesman Wouter Bruyns.
‘3 suffered serious injuries. Who fired a firearm and whether multiple weapons were present at the time is part of the investigation.’ The police do not yet want to say anything about the identities of those involved, only that they are aged between 23 and 38 years of age. All are said to be of Albanian origin.
Witness speaks of "Little Chicago"
Several witnesses saw the incident happen at close range. ‘I heard 3 or 4 shots,’ says Mohsen, who runs the restaurant below the flat. ‘Someone walked in here asking if I could call an ambulance. The police were here within the minute.’
A witness, who was in a pub, also saw how the police quickly arrived along with the ambulance and an emergency medical team. ‘We saw how 2 people were taken away. It gave us a bit of a fright. I’m regularly in the neighbourhood, but now I find myself in another world. It's like Little Chicago here in Antwerp.’
Mohsen saw how firefighters had to use a ladder to take one of the injured out of the flat. ‘The incident happened on the 5th floor. It was the only way to get to the person involved.’
Safety zone established for further investigation
Police are now trying to find out how exactly the events unfolded. A safety zone was set out for the emergency services and to protect passers-by.
‘We have a lot of police officers deployed on this case doing different tasks,’ Officer Bruyns said. ‘There are leads to investigate in different locations and the police also have the job of keeping the public at a distance.’