In the centre of Bruges, on Christmas eve, a police officer shot a 40-year-old man who was charging at him with a knife in his hand. The man was shot in the stomach and was taken to hospital in a critical condition. An investigation is underway to determine exactly what happened.
The incident occurred in Korte Riddersstraat in the Bruges downtown. A 40-year-old man was causing trouble at his home. He had started throwing all kinds of things through the windows onto the street.
The police arrived on the scene and tried to calm the man down, but to no avail. He came outside wielding a knife. Officers ordered him to drop the weapon. He refused and charged at the officers with the knife in his hand.
One of the officers then fired a shot. The man was shot in the stomach and was taken to hospital in a critical condition, the public prosecutor's office says.
An investigation is underway to determine exactly what happened. “Officers from another police zone arrived on the scene to make the necessary observations,” said prosecutor Tom Janssens. After the incident, the area around Korte Riddersstraat was cordoned off for some time.
UPDATE: The attacker is now in a stable condition in hospital after undergoing an operation. Police have not yet been able to question him.